Harry Potter and The Event: Gold Hammer Edition
by IsleofRedemption
Summary: Shameless author-insertion goes horribly wrong when Dave attempts to become the greatest wizard ever! Hilarity and angst ensue!


Disclaimer

Hi there! My name is Dave, and I'll be your fan fiction writer today.

As this is fanfiction, I think it goes without saying that I don't lay claim to the rights of any of the Harry Potter franchise. They all belong to J.K. Rowling, and frankly, she can have em.

This little story takes place in an alternate sort of reality, sometime between/before/after Order of the Pheonix, at a point where Lord Voldermort is no longer a threat… but don't worry. This won't be one of those "pleasant" stories you read about.

As for the (Soundtrack) insets, if you have the songs, that's what I listened to in order to help get a feel for the scene. If you have em, you might want to listen to them too.

As for those of you who have read the "older version" of this story, you'll notice (if you read this one) a great many glaring changes. Much like George Lucas, I may have destroyed this story, but I feel it's a little better than before.

Finally, just so people don't get confused, I put parts where characters are thinking in asterisks, but unfortunately Fanfiction dot net does not like asterisks, so they won't be present. You can usually tell when they're thinking anyway… At least I hope you can.

And now, with further askew, we present…

HARRY POTTER AND THE EVENT THAT HAD LITTLE TO DO WITH HIM

Prologue (Soundtrack – None, or possibly Kelly Clarkson: Break Away)

"Don't worry, Dave. It's okay. Not everybody has wizarding blood in them. Your sister just happened to have it, and you didn't. It's as simple as that. Look at us. We're not wizards either."

"But WHY? Why does SHE get to be the one who gets to do everything fun?"

Dave, a young boy of about twelve, sits on the edge of his bed, sobbing, and being consoled by his mother.

"It's not all fun and games. It involves a lot of hard work, and-"

"But the wands, and the brooms, and..."

His sister, Jennifer, had become a witch. This followed the tradition of many other members of Dave's family. Dave couldn't understand why the blood of wizardry had reached his sister, and not him.

This wasn't to say his parents were terribly proud of their daughter. They hadn't had any magical powers themselves, and compensated for it by deciding magic was for lazy people, usually looking down on anyone who used it.

Dave, meanwhile, didn't have many friends, and he couldn't quite get the knack for "Muggle" school. He was often alone, having divided himself from fellow students and teachers. Once he knew about Wizarding School, he figured by process of elimination, magic school was just the place for him. It had been his last lingering hope for finding his place in the world, even at such a young age.

"...Do you mean... I don't have any magic at all? Not even a little?"

"I'm sorry, Dave, but usually magic starts making itself known around eleven years old... and you're-"

"I KNOW! You've already said that!"

"...Leave him alone." Dave's father called from the hallway. "He'll get over it eventually. Just give him some time."

Reluctantly, his mother stood up, letting her comforting hand fall from Dave's shoulder, and left.

Once the door to his room closed, Dave's sobbing ceased.

"Maybe I just… wasn't meant to have what I want…" He shivered, and choked into his pillow.

"...I don't care what they say. I WILL be a wizard one day... and I'll become the best wizard anybody's ever seen."

He knew he was making idle promises to himself. It was as his parents had said. Not a wizard, never a wizard.

But still...

Chapter 1 - The Opening Credits (Soundtrack - Matchbox 20: Unwell)

Dave was around sixteen, a sophomore in high school. He had watched his sister graduate from USMA, the United States Magical Academy, and had all but given up hope for himself.

He had grown into a marginally attractive young man with short brown hair, and blue-green eyes veiled by small, thin-rimmed, rectangular glasses. He often wore loose clothes to hide his wiry build.

Today he was wandering behind a large group of students in the big city of Chicago, on a routine field trip. Bearing witness through his sister to the world of magic, Dave felt that his normal life in a normal school was nothing but a prison. These field trips were the closest Dave had felt in a while to being free.

"Dave! Try to keep up!" One of the chaperones called back to him over the loud horn-honks of cars and muttering of fellow students and commuters on their cell-phones.

"I'm workin' on it..." Dave called back absently. In reality the only thing he was "workin' on" was trying not to run away and start a new life with the hobos. Judging from how badly he was doing in his classes, it seemed to be the way he was going anyhow.

He was meditating on this subject while keeping his steady forward pace when he heard a loud shout.

"Peckles! You get back here!"

Dave turned his head to the blue, smoky sky to see an apartment building with an open window from which the shout seemed to emanate.

A black cat, presumably "Peckles" if he'd heard correctly, hopped out of the open window and onto a nearby fire escape. It bounded down the stairs and Dave could see that the creature carried a large yellow envelope in its mouth.

"What the hell?" Dave murmured, completely forgetting that the field trip class had left him behind.

A head poked from the open window, then withdrew, and there was more panicked shouting from within.

Dave raised an eyebrow as the cat bounded down the fire escape steps, running in tight circles until reaching the bottom. There was still a long way down to the ground, even for a cat.

The boy quirked his brow as he got a better look at the creature; its body was sleek, covered in well-kept black fur. Its eyes were a strange crimson color.

Regardless of what the cat looked like, something was very strange here. This odd looking creature was, for some reason, trying to get this envelope away from its owners, and Dave now had to pick a side. He could either help the cat escape, and walk away as if nothing had happened, or give the cat back to its owners for a small, or more likely, no reward.

Dave sighed and hurriedly opened his backpack, holding it under the cat.

"Come on, you. I'll get you out of here." He called in a hiss, the absurdity of the situation making him forget that cats couldn't understand human speech.

Dave was prone to doing things that didn't make sense, something he chalked up to unproven self-proclaimed medical problems. It was just his way of doing things, it seemed.

The cat nodded after a slight hesitation, as if considering the character of his would-be rescuer. It hopped off the edge of the fire escape and landed neatly in Dave's pack, amidst the notebook and small collection of pens, which it took care not to impale itself on.

Dave quickly zipped up the pack and ran as fast as he could to catch up with the rest of his class.

It was testament to the nature of city folk that none of them seemed to notice any of what had just happened.

Later on, Dave released the cat from his backpack, and offered to let it go free.

"I don't know what you were doing back there…" Dave spoke to it as he set it down on the sidewalk. It stood at perfect attention as if it understood his every word, the envelope still in its mouth. "…But I know how it is to not want to be somewhere." He leaned in closer. "My sister's a witch, you know. Goes to magic school... recently graduated." He explained, and though he didn't notice, the cat's red eyes widened a bit. It took a few steps back, and turned its head to present Dave with the envelope it had been carrying.

He blinked and took it with a raised eyebrow, and opened it slowly.

It read:

"Congratulations to the recipient of this letter, for you have been accepted to USMA, the United States Magical Academy."

There was more, but Dave didn't have the patience to read it. His eyes were wide, and already streaming with tears. The letter had looked familiar to him, from when his sister had acquired one, but he never thought he would be presented with one, especially now.

Some part of him wondered why the cat had taken this letter, and given it to him... but another part surmised that the letter had always been meant for him. Perhaps those people in that apartment window had stolen it somehow.

The young man looked back over his life of sub-par academic achievement, loneliness, frustration, and despair... and it was easy to guess which part of him he chose to believe.

Dave shoved the letter into his pocket after folding it haphazardly, and looked to the cat, which was climbing back into Dave's pack.

"...Peckles?"

The cat looked back at him as if to say "Well? You gonna stand there bawling all day, or are we moving?"

Dave couldn't help but smile as he closed the backpack again, picked it up, and pushed back through the crowd of people, toward the train station.

Hell with field trips. Dave had a great deal to tell his family now.

Chapter 2 – Transition (Soundtrack - Tenchi Muyo: Washuu's Lullaby)

"This is gonna be awesome!" Dave grinned excitedly as he stared at Peckles amidst all the other things he was bringing on his trip... to Hogwarts school of Wizardry and Witchcraft.

USMA had been joke, plain and simple. Dave wouldn't have believed that there were fraternities and sororities in magic schools, but there were. They didn't even get wands or brooms until later years, and since he was years behind everyone else, a 16-year-old student in his 1st year, he was in Remedial Magical Classes with teachers who didn't seem to care at all about their students.

It didn't matter, though. Somehow the fact that he was learning something other than math and science spurred him to a level of self-education he would have never dreamed possible.

He kept his nose in books, memorizing basic magical incantations, and trying to learn the art of flying out of texts rather than through experience, which proved exceedingly more difficult.

He seemed to soak up knowledge like a sponge, but often found himself feeling impatient with these people. Though he was learning quickly, he wouldn't be able to test his knowledge anywhere but on paper... until he saw an interesting flyer around the USMA dormitories... an Exchange Student program.

"Finally, a REAL Magic school with real students, teachers, wands, brooms and magic! I can finally actually try out all this stuff I've been learning!"

Peckles was staring out the window, hardly paying attention to Dave. The cat had likely been subject to Dave's ramblings a lot over the time they'd known each other. Like many other people, the cat seemed to tune him out.

"Okay! Cauldron, Books, Animal - that's you, Peckles- and... hmm... Apparently I'm STILL not allowed to own a broom, so that just leaves my wand."

Dave continued to murmur to himself, wishing he hadn't brought so much stuff from home; his music CDs, his VIDEOGAMES, his collectible card games... He'd learned very early upon reaching England that electrical devices were of no use in Hogwarts Castle. Now he had to lug THOSE around Daigon Alley, along WITH his magical gear.

As he walked, eyes on his luggage and mind in the clouds, rather than where he was going, he heard a cockney-accented voice call: "Watch out, Hermione!"

Dave barely had time to look up as he collided with someone and fell backward onto the ground, his things strewn all over.

Well, I'll bet that's the end of my PS2 and Discman anyway... Dave thought, looking up to see who he'd run into.

"Oh, I'm so sorry..."

"...It's okay."

Peckles suddenly hissed, wondering what the matter was. He sprang up onto Dave's shoulder to glare at the offender with his scarlet eyes.

The person who spoke was a young girl about his age, with bushy brown hair and equally auburn eyes.

"Watch where you're going!" Came a voice from above them. Dave looked up to see a boy with fiery red hair glaring down at him with arms folded.

"It was my fault, Ron. Honestly." The girl gave him an incredulous look. "As long as you're trying to help me, you may as well help me up..." The redheaded boy blushed slightly and reached down to take the girl's hand and helped her to her feet.

Dave was beginning to go about gathering his things, but somehow he couldn't stop himself from glancing up at the girl every now and again. He almost didn't notice that a second boy was busily helping him pick up his belongings.

"Are you alright?" The other boy asked with a nod and a smile, handing him his book of CDs. "You're sure a heavy traveler. You do know that electronics?"

"Don't work in Hogwarts. Yeah, I know. Unfortunately there's nothing I can do about that now."

"I see..."

This young man had a few identifiable features that he wasn't likely to see on anyone else; particularly a jagged scar on his forehead, and large goofy-goggles glasses.

"Want some help?" The scarred boy asked. "Getting around Diagon Alley, I mean."

"Huh?" Dave answered back. "You serious?"

"Why not? We've got nothing better to do... is this your first year here?"

"How did you know?"

"The electronics."

"Right."

Dave finally stood up and put all of his things back on the cart he'd been hauling, and slung his twin duffle bags over his shoulders. Peckles, bored by now, had abandoned Dave's shoulder and wandered closer to inspect the young girl.

"Well... as much as I'd appreciate it, I think I'd rather just take some time to look around on my own..."

"Ah." The scarred boy nodded. "Not sure I understand, but that's alright. If you ever do need help, feel free to look us up. My name is Harry Potter. This is Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger." He smiled back at the girl and the redheaded boy.

Ron nodded, muttering something, and Hermione was already busy kneeling down to greet Peckles.

Dave blinked as he looked back to the others, eyes resting his gaze on Hermione for a moment longer.

"Um... w-wand shop?" He found his speech impeded by an odd tingling feeling.

"You need to find the wand shop?" Ron asked, suddenly stepping forward as if so excited to help someone less knowledgeable then him, or at least to block Dave's view of the brunette. "Ollivander's is right down the street, to the right... over there." He pointed.

"Gotcha..." Dave nodded slowly, glancing over Ron's shoulder, at Hermione and Peckles. The girl had taken the black cat into her arms, hugging him gently. The cat seemed to enjoy this immensely, purring and snuggling.

Harry noticed Dave staring.

"Um... Hermione... I think he wants his cat back."

Hermione smiled and offered Peckles back to Dave, who took him back absently. Peckles, of course, was loathe to leave the warm embrace, but could do nothing but hiss angrily at Dave.

"Thanks." Dave swallowed and nodded to Hermione and Ron, then to Harry. "My name's Dave... just Dave."

"No last name?"

"It's an embarrassing one."

"There's a boy here named Neville Longbottom. Is it more embarrassing than that?"

"Ron!"

"...Nevertheless. It was nice meeting all of you though... see you later."

Dave cautiously began to pull his cart again, walking past the three of them.

"He must be the oldest 1st Year I've ever seen." Ron murmured.

Chapter 3 - Ollivander's Wand shop (Super Mario RPG: Rose Forest)

"Excuse me..." Dave called as he wandered into the wand shop called Ollivander's. He was rather put off by the place.

It looked like a shoe store, and Dave hated shoe shopping.

"I need a-"

"I already know, sir. A wand. Why does anybody come in here? Entering a wand shop and asking for a wand is a bit redundant, wouldn't you say?"

The owner of the wand shop, presumably "Ollivander", emerged from a row of shelves.

"I guess..." Dave answered quietly, looking to Peckles with a raised eyebrow that the cat shared. He wasn't in the mood for jokes, his thoughts still on the girl and, to a lesser extent, her two companions.

"Well then, let's get you started, shall we?" Ollivander asked, looking Dave over, and Dave suddenly got the feeling he would hate wand shopping just as much as shoe shopping.

Immediately the wand-fitting process began, with Ollivander taking measurements, asking questions, and so forth until the actual testing began. All the while Dave couldn't help but wonder why all of this was necessary. Finally, Ollivander finally gave Dave one of the wands from the many long, slender boxes.

Dave tilted the wand in his hand, back and forth and waved it a bit.

So this is what it feels like... He thought, feeling the same swell of pride and awe he'd felt upon first receiving that letter.

Unfortunately the feeling was spoiled as with that single wand flick, one of the shelves of wands fell over.

"DEAR HEAVENS!" Ollivander shrieked as he saw the shelf tip over, causing the shelves next to it to topple like dominoes.

He ran forward to stop the chaos while Dave dropped the wand so as not to cause further damage. Ollivander managed to regain control, and quickly gave Dave a different wand.

Almost a half an hour went by, with Dave testing wands and causing nothing but havoc, until finally Ollivander stopped handing him wands... and just stared at him.

"...I've never seen this kind of thing before. Interesting..."

"What is it?"

The old man didn't want to say it... there was no tactful way to say that it looked like none of the wands WANTED him as their wielder, nor was there an explanation for something like that. It had never happened before. Even Voldermort had found a wand that had chosen him.

Finally he shrugged, about to tell Dave that he couldn't help him, until he had a thought.

He straightened and rushed to the back room.

"I've been testing wands with new kinds of materials: new types of wood. New cores. Thus far they've only been causing trouble. They're too powerful... too wild. Perhaps if none of the wands want you, and this wand," He began, holding out a final box he'd retrieved from the back, "seems not to want anyone else, perhaps..." he quickly opened the box and presented its contents to Dave.

"Twelve inches, ebony, unyieldingly rigid, with a core from a hydra's spinal cord; a very hard material to get since separating any part of a hydra from the rest risks a second full beast spawning from it... thus far I've never seen a wizard who could use this particular wand." He murmured.

Dave looked at Peckles with an expression that said, "oh, fine, dump the experimental highly dangerous wand on the new guy", before reaching out and plucking the wand from the box.

Predictably, the wand and its new bearer began to glow slightly, and the owner of the wand shop watched with amazement.

"There. The wand is yours." He said quickly, already beginning to put the tested wands back where they belonged.

"Aren't you going to charge me for it?"

"Please, sir. It's amazing that that wand didn't explode the moment you laid your hand on it."

"Thanks." Dave murmured grudgingly as he indignantly turned, and stalked out of the wand shop.

As he did, Ollivander murmured after him.

"But there's something different about you, young man. That wand would never have allowed you to wield it otherwise... Only time will tell exactly what that is."

Chapter 4 - A Strange Sort (Soundtrack – Cowboy Bebop: 23 Hanashi)

"Gryffindor!"

There was more applause as the sorting ceremony continued, and Dave had gotten quite sick of listening to it.

It was enough he'd had to listen to the hat sing a stupid song, and for that matter sit through all the other student's sorting. He wished he could have gotten through this online somehow.

To him, splitting the school into four houses was no different from the fraternities back home; only these were mandatory. It was just as well, in his opinion. Now the houses couldn't keep him out on account of being a loser.

His preference really didn't matter. All he could do was wonder whether he was brave, clever, ambitious... or none of the above.

Finally, his name was called, and he approached the stool where he was to sit, ignoring the murmurings that a kid his age was to be sorted along with the first years.

As the hat was placed over his head, he noticed that sitting at the Gryffindor table was the girl from before, Hermione, and her two friends. As the oversized hat slipped over his eyes, he knew precisely where he wanted to go.

He heard the strange singsong voice of the hat in his mind beginning to speak...

"Hmmmm... Interesting."

What's interesting? Why does everyone keep saying that?

"You seem to have studied hard in your old school. That's admirable for a USMA Student."

I was. Thanks for noticing. I guess the school's reputation precedes its students.

"Indeed... Unfortunately it doesn't seem to make a difference, one way or the other."

What do you mean by that?

"You don't belong in any of these houses. I'm sure you know that by now."

Well, that's no surprise to me. Back at USMA, I couldn't even get nominated for any of the fraternities. It doesn't matter. I'll try hard, no matter where you put me.

"...You don't belong in Magic School at all."

Some of the students wondered if, somehow, the hat was causing some pain to Dave's head. Perhaps constricting, as they noticed his teeth clench. Peckles, who sat next to the stool, began to shift, uneasily on all fours, as if agitated.

...I got a letter, same as anyone else. Why wouldn't I belong here?

"True wizards should have been learning to hone their skills as young as eleven years old. No one is suddenly handed a letter five years after the deadline. Your circumstances for being here are abnormal."

What the hell do you know? Maybe I'm unique. Just put me in a damned house, and I'll show you how much of a wizard I really am!

"Very well, but you're in for a rough time."

"...HUFFLEPUFF!"

Dave suddenly stood, kicking the stool over violently. The resulting clatter drowned out the hesitant and scattered applause from the Hufflepuff table. He wrested the hat from his head, and stared down at it in stark hatred.

There was a dead silence. Not even a chuckle from the Slytherin table. All that could be heard was a low panting from Dave's clenched teeth. For all the students knew, Dave had wanted to be in any other house. What else could the hat have said to agitate him so?

Finally, Dave sighed and pulled his new wand from his sleeve, and turned to the fallen stool.

"Accio." He spoke sharply, and the stool flew to his hand. He snatched it with the same hand that held the sorting hat, and dropped the stool back in its proper place, followed by the hat.

...You'll see...

The silence remained unbroken as Dave walked through the crowd, which parted quickly before him. He sat at the far end of the Hufflepuff table, arms folded.

Peckles trotted along behind unnoticed, and sat up on the bench next to him, curling up, glad for some quiet.

There was some hesitation, many eyes still fixed on Dave.

"Hard act to follow." Ron murmured to Harry back at the Hufflepuff table. "Isn't he that guy we saw in Daigon Alley?"

"He used a summoning charm?" Hermione murmured. "How could a first year know how to use one of those so effectively?"

Next to her, Ginny sighed uneasily.

"I don't think anyone's really thinking about the magic he can use."

Meanwhile, the students at the Slytherin table had finally allowed themselves to chuckle at the situation.

"Does something about him seem familiar to you?" Draco murmured to his compatriots, Crabbe and Goyle. The two of them shook their heads dumbly (as if they could do anything in any other way).

"F-Five points from Hufflepuff."

Madame Sprout, who fought back her outrage, suddenly broke the air of menace with her proclamation.

There was a collective wince from the Hufflepuff table as all of them continued to stare.

Already, each of them could see their chances for winning the House Cup slipping away.

Chapter 5 - School Spirit (Soundtrack – Cowboy Bebop: Slipper Sleaze)

The remainder of The Sorting Ceremony lacked its previous fervor. There was a considerable radius of empty seats around Dave, but neither Dave nor Peckles seemed to mind, enjoying the extra room.

The murmuring around the room ceased as Headmaster Dumbledore stood before the students for his beginning-of-the-year address.

"Welcome back to those of you returning, and to those of you who have just come here, I have a special selection of words which you may find interesting."

"Old maniac." Dave murmured, wishing they'd get to the food. Of course he'd never seen Dumbledore before this point, but... "Who talks like that, anyway?"

"I'm well aware that some of you have come here with an anxious mind, wondering how you'll live away from home, living with strangers, going from one life to another, really." The old man explained, fiddling with his long beard absently, moon-rimmed glasses scanning over the audience. "But always remember that each and every one of you are here for a reason, whether it be to do your family proud, to discover the cure for as of yet uncured magical maladies, or... to prove something to yourself... Hogwarts will always give help to those who need it, as I've said so many times in the past. Finally, I have one more thing to say: Tuck in."

With that, the long tables were instantly filled with delicious looking food, and all of the students forgot their troubles in the wonderful feast.

Dave, meanwhile, picked absentmindedly at his plate, which he'd, filled with two turkey legs, and mashed potatoes. Unfortunately, without Barbeque sauce, he felt he couldn't eat any of it, so he began to sculpt it into whatever he could think of.

He hadn't paid attention to Dumbledore's speech, wondering (ironically enough) when they would get to the food.

As Peckles hopped up on the table and gnawed at one of the turkey legs, Dave began to let his gaze wander over the great hall, ignoring those who were glancing at him apprehensively.

"Five points from Hufflepuff..." he whispered to himself as his eyes rested on the Gryffindor table... and on Hermione. "... What does that even mean?"

"It means you need to work on that attitude of yours if we want to win the House Cup!"

Dave almost screamed, but caught himself as he jumped out of his chair.

A heavy-set man in robes - a transparent heavy-set man in robes - had suddenly appeared in the seat just across from him.

"Gah! Get away from me!"

"Calm down, young man." The balding ghost said quietly. "You're never going to get Miss Granger's attention that way... at least in a positive sense."

"...Wha- Who told- what the hell?" Dave's face was red, but still pale from the ghost's initial entrance.

"You'd have to be blind not to notice the way you've been staring, and the way you looked directly at her before that hat was put on your head."

"Very observant. Now kindly go back to hell. I really don't feel like talking."

"I'm called the Fat Friar."

"I'm called 'That Creepy Kid In Hufflepuff'. Nice to meet you."

"Nobody's calling you that."

"Someone in Ravenclaw did."

"...Good hearing."

"Thanks. Anyway, Fat Friar, if you don't mind, I'd like to eat in peace."

"Go ahead and eat... I was just going to explain something to you."

"...Fine." Dave sighed, realizing getting rid of this guy wouldn't be as easy as he'd have liked, and therefore forced himself to eat so as to avert his attention.

"Hogwarts is separated into four houses, as you know. The House Cup is awarded to the House with the highest number of points at the end of the year."

"And?" Dave asked with a mouthful of turkey.

"And if you behave badly, you'll lose points for your house, like you did today."

"Oh... so THAT'S what that meant." Dave nodded, remembering how he'd just lost five points.

"Precisely. That's why you'll have to be careful in the future. The things you do will reflect not only on your house, but also on you, which will make you look bad for Miss Granger. Behaving badly won't do anyone any good."

"I appreciate your concern for yourself and your stupid house poorly veiled with concern for me, but as it happens, I don't want or need your help, so get out of here and let me THINK."

"Just... try and do well, and try not to get expelled." The Friar looked understandably insulted, but also had a strange pitying expression on his face.

"Believe me. I'm not leaving this school."

Dave and the Friar sighed simultaneously, and the Friar floated off to try and cheer up some of the other Hufflepuffs. Some of them were beginning to wonder if they'd been placed here because they were crazy too.

Dave grumbled as he began eating, and noticed Peckles had polished off an entire leg. He glared at the cat.

"Why don't you get your tail out of here, and walk around? After eating that much you could use the exercise."

Peckles hissed and stood up, walking jauntily from the Great Hall.

Once he was gone, Dave was suddenly aware of how empty the area around him was.

"And yet again, I succeed in isolating myself." He looked up again at the other students, and the plate in front of him. "Okay... so I didn't have the best first showing. This isn't the end of the world. Classes haven't even started yet, and it doesn't matter what house I'm in. I'll be a great wizard anyway." He tried to smile, drawing his wand and looking it over again.

He looked down the table, and saw a delicious looking cake. Dessert had apparently started.

"Accio." He whispered, looking at the cake... but the cake didn't move.

"...Okay, fine, I guess I need a little more work, but nevertheless, I'm gonna be the greatest wizard ever." With that, he stood up and made his way over to the area of the table with the cake, to begin his apologies, and begging for forgiveness.

Once dinner was over, and Dave was escorted to his room with the rest of the Hufflepuffs, he immediately began to make himself at home.

Though he knew his electronics were useless, he put his PS2 and Discman and everything else out on the shelves. He felt better with them there.

It wasn't that he was homesick. He was far from it. The more time he spent away from "the muggle life", the better he knew he should have felt. Besides, he knew that with enough effort it was only a matter of time before he'd have friends, and a sharpened talent for magic.

"What was wrong with you today?" Dave heard someone ask from the other side of the dorm as he worked.

"Eh, I was in a bad mood. Whatcha gonna do?" Dave answered without looking up to see who was speaking to him.

"Being accepted to Hogwarts usually doesn't make anyone angry... have you got something against Hufflepuff?"

"I said I was just in a bad mood. I've never been here before today, so why would I have anything against Hufflepuff? ...Other than it is an amazingly stupid name. "

Dave's roommates, he would later discover, were Audron Speig, Geoffrey Grantz, Roland Fauss and Dominick Righland. All of them were just a bit unique.

Audron had long golden hair, which, he claimed, was a result of having genes from something called a Veela. He was also apparently a transfer student, which made Dave feel a little better and a little worse at the same time.

Geoffrey was a tall, dark skinned boy with a voice so deep it felt like the floor shook a little whenever he spoke.

Roland Fauss's name, which sounded like "Faust", seemed appropriate due to the man's pale skin and equally pale hair, which made him look as though he'd been through hell and back.

Dominick seemed very well off. He was well groomed, and had an annoying habit of playing the violin. However he had bought a magical muter, a special sort of bow that allowed only him to hear the music, but all that did was ensure that, through all hours of the night, all Dave could hear was the quiet yet persistent and annoying scratch of bow on string.

At present, it was Geoffrey who was speaking to him, with a provoking tone.

"If you don't like it, you can leave. I don't want to have to deal with your tantrums all year long."

"Hey, it was one time. I don't know what the hell got into me, but it won't happen again."

"Cat."

"Huh?"

Roland was pointing at the door, where Peckles had apparently finished his self-guided tour of the school, and squeezed through the cracked open door of the dorm room.

"Oh, he's mine." Dave called, looking back at Peckles who hopped up onto his bed and made himself comfortable. "He's Peckles, and I wouldn't recommend leaving any food near him unsupervised."

Audron and Dominick snickered, while Roland went back to his business of looking through a thick black book, and Geoffrey snorted, still not entirely satisfied with the character of their new roommate.

"Whatever." Dave muttered, brushing Geoffrey off as he went back to his unpacking, coming to the realization that of all the things he'd brought, none of it would be of any use. He'd have to wear his robes, and was given Hogwarts pajamas, making the clothes he'd brought useless. His electronics were nonfunctional, and odds were nobody in that school played collectible card games. "...Oh well. I probably won't have time for any of that anyway once classes start."

Peckles mewed.

Chapter 6 - De-Education (Soundtrack - Final Fantasy VI: Kefka's Theme)

"Settle down, everyone. Settle down."

Professor McGonagall's stern voice pierced through the cloud of mutters and murmurs in the transfiguration classroom.

This was Dave's first class of his first full day at Hogwarts.

"Some of you may feel as though you're above the basics. If that's truly how you feel, then nobody's stopping you from leaving."

Dave stood up.

"...I mean from leaving this school."

He sat back down with an indignant expression on his face, as some students near him chuckled.

Nobody had forgiven him just yet for his behavior at the sorting ceremony. There was, as usual, a circle of empty seats around him.

Peckles was stretched out on the floor, relaxing, while Dave was now slumping, trying to make himself as small and unnoticeable as possible.

"We'll begin by turning our animals into water goblets."

Peckles sat up, as if someone had poked him sharply in the ribs

Dave sat up as well, but much more lazily, and raised his hand.

"Professor McGonagall?"

"What is it, Dave?" Professor McGonagall was already irked by this young man, both from the Sorting Ceremony and from his standing up at her initial speech.

"...Why are we turning animals into water goblets?"

"I believe I said that if you thought you were above-"

"I don't think I'm above the basics, ma'am. I just want to know why we're doing this. I mean what would the Humane Society think?"

"Young man, I-"

"Is this for situations where, like, we're being attacked by a swarm of rats, and one room over there's a party with a punch bowl but someone forgot glasses? What are we working toward here? Turning bulls into china shops, or what?"

"Whatever reason you like, this is what we're doing. You're welcome to leave if you don't like it."

"...I'll be quiet now."

Dave sighed, reaching down and grabbing Peckles around the collar, even as the cat was about to make a run for it.

"Come on, Peckles. I don't like this either. Now just stay still." Dave said quietly to Peckles as one hand set the ebon-furred creature on his desk, while the other hand flipped through his textbook. "...Water balloon... Water clock... okay, got it. Peckles, I-..."

He turned back to the cat, raising his wand, but Peckles hand darted around to the side of it, clamping his jaws around the ebony stick, red eyes fixed on Dave.

"Um... Professor?" Dave called again as he began to tug at his wand.

"What is it now, Dave?" McGonagall asked, craning her head around, as she was already busy helping another student.

"I don't think Peckles wants to be a water goblet."

"I don't have time to deal with this right now. Get your cat under control."

"He won't let go of my wand."

"Oh, for heaven's sake!" the Professor stood up and stalked over to Dave's nearly empty worktable, where he was engaging in a tug of war with Peckles for his wand. The students around him were giggling, wishing they'd sat closer to get a better look at this.

"In his defense, I wouldn't want someone drinking out of me either." Dave explained.

"...Ten points from Hufflepuff."

"But?"

"You are disrupting my class." Professor McGonagall cut him off, pointing her wand at Peckles.

"Feraver-..." she began, but the black cat bolted under the desk before she could finish the incantation and the subsequent necessary tap of the wand.

The class was now in an uproar as McGonagall snorted.

"David, you take that cat of yours out of this room immediately."

"Don't worry about it." Dominick called as he watched Peckles rush out the door in a bolt of black fur. "I don't think he's coming back in here anyway."

"Hm." The Professor sighed, and shook her head. "Well, now you'll have to get another animal to use..."

Roland's hand shot up, wordlessly offering a turquoise colored toad to Professor McGonagall.

"Thank you, Mr. Fauss." She smiled and accepted the croaking creature, placing it in front of Dave, now entirely caught up in making sure Dave took something away from this lesson. The other students didn't mind Dave's behavior. They considered it entertaining.

"Feraverto." Dave murmured, and tapped the frog in the manner he'd practiced back at USMA, without his wand.

Nothing happened.

"...Hm." Quirking an eyebrow, Professor McGonagall looked from the wand to the toad, and back again. "Perhaps your cat managed to damage your wand while biting it."

Dave was already looking the wand over.

"No, there's not a mark on it. You think there's something wrong with the frog?"

McGonagall looked back to Roland.

"Roland was able to do it." Geoffrey called as Roland shrugged.

"Well... I'm not sure what to say. The wand motions were perfect, you pronounced the words correctly, and the wand is functional, isn't it?" She reached out a hand for the wand.

"Uh... I got this from Ollivander's. It's an experimental wand."

"...I see." McGonagall's hand quickly withdrew, not wanting to risk her own safety, let alone that of the other students by trying to touch an experimental and possibly dangerous wand.

"It worked last night at the Sorting Ceremony..." Dave offered. "Maybe the wand is just fickle. It's-... I forget what Ollivander said it was made out of."

"Regardless, I'll give you a passing grade for this exercise. Don't let anything like this happen again though."

Dave sighed with relief and watched as the other students, realizing there was nothing further to see, got back to work.

Things didn't improve during Dave's next class: Potions.

"HOLY SHIT!"

Dave sat upright; breathing heavily, sweat dripping from his brow into the empty cauldron below him.

Professor Snape turned quickly with an icy expression.

"I'm glad ONE of you is so very excited to hear that we'll be having a recap quiz to make sure you're thoroughly prepared for the coming year... that, or you were sleeping through my lecture."

"It wasn't my fault... um... the fumes of the... sleeping potion we were making got to me?" Dave attempted.

"An interesting excuse, but unlikely. You were given neither ingredients nor instructions for today's lecture... which has nothing to do with sleeping potions."

"But if it DID-"

"Fifteen points from Hufflepuff."

"Wow..." Dominick murmured, raising an eyebrow. "Just fifteen?"

"And thirty five more for cursing."

Dave counted in his head exactly how many points he had cost his house at this point. Not that he really cared, but he was just curious.

"I can understand your disappointment at your sorting arrangements, but at the same time, I won't allow it to disturb my class."

Dave slumped, cupping his chin in his hands.

"These guys take themselves pretty seriously, don't they?"

"Don't worry." Audron smiled at Dave. "People do fall asleep in this class sometimes, but if you think this is bad, you ought to see History of Magic."

"How do they expect me to deal with this school?" Dave asked. "I thought I'd be learning magic and stuff... turns out the only difference between this place and USMA is, this time, the process of not gaining any real experience includes actually using the magic."

"I don't think anyone expects you to deal with anything." Roland murmured.

After the fiasco in McGonagall's class, his roommates had taken to sitting a little closer to Dave, just to watch the fireworks.

"The way I see it, it's a wonder you're still even IN this school, so I suggest you shut up and try to make the most of your time here, despite your apparent learning disability," Geoffrey growled, and Dave snorted at him, turning back to Professor Snape, who was already beginning his lecture anew.

In his dream, Dave was wandering through a very dark, very cramped area, and he knew that there must be a bright, open area just ahead.

He emerged in a dimly lit room, the floor of which was covered by sticky red liquid and three inert figures; a snake whose head had been cut off, a lion which lay motionless and bloody, and a bird whose wings and neck had been broken.

"It seems you've arrived…" He heard a very soft voice proclaim, and as he reached for his wand, he saw not a hand… but a badger's paw.

As he looked up in a panic, he saw something sharp hurtling toward his neck… but then he had awoken.

He tried to let memories of the dream die in his mind, and focus only on the lecture, but could not control the pounding of his heart.

Chapter 7 - She's Got All The Answers (Soundtrack - None)

That day at lunch, Dave sat alone again at his table, hardly listening to the various people talk about various things.

After hardly half a day, he couldn't help noticing that once again he'd alienated himself from everyone, but unlike before where it was the fault of the jocks and inept teachers, he had managed to do it to himself with his behavior. With some, he had become a grumpy hermit, and with others he was a living joke. Even his cat would rarely stay near him for very long anymore.

Speaking of which...

"Peckles, dammit!" Dave hissed as the cat hopped off the table after finishing off something a mix of meatloaf, mashed potatoes, corn, and all kinds of spices; something nobody but Dave and Peckles (who would apparently eat as long as it wasn't his) would ever go near, much less eat.

In what would become another of his memorable moments as far as the other students were concerned, Dave sprung off the bench, and crawled across the ground after the cat.

Peckles was jumping from floor to bench to table back to the floor again, between legs, making students scream or giggle as his soft tail brushed against their ankles, and scream when Dave attempted to follow.

"You've gotten me into enough trouble! Now get back here!" Dave called again in a lethal growl, as he stood up and ran along the edge of the room to try and catch him. "As soon as I catch you, you are SO a water goblet! I'll be that's why we're learning that stupid spell, so our pets won't run away!"

He hesitated, contemplating this revelation, but shook it off and sped off after the cat again.

Pouncing and missing, Dave crawled under the bench of one of the tables (he had by now lost track of which house) and finally caught Peckles, whom had stopped running and was now rubbing up against somebody's leg, purring contentedly.

Dave hardly had time to reach out to seize him, when a large ginger-colored cat he hadn't noticed before lunged in front of him, hissing loudly at both cat and owner.

"Crookshanks!" Dave heard a recognizable chiding call from the table above, belonging to the person whose leg Peckles was rubbing up against.

Dave looked up, almost staringdirectly beneath the robes of said person. Upon realizing this, he bowed his head again.

He heard the female voice clear its throat, and as Dave looked up again, he recognized a cute face surrounded by bushy brown hair, looking sideways at him as Hermione glanced under the table.

"...Um..."

"This is SO not what it looks like." Dave said quickly, reaching out and grabbing Peckles by the tail and yanking him back, the black-furred cat giving a yowl of pain as he was finally captured.

Hermione said nothing as she reached down and grabbed Crookshanks. By now Harry and Ron, also present, were looking under the table as well.

"What were you- I- She- you weren't!" Ron sputtered, thinking that Dave was doing exactly what Dave was afraid Hermione would think he was trying to do... or something like that.

"Damn, no!" Dave squeaked defensively, unconsciously squeezing Peckles. "My stupid cat was just... that is..."

"YOU." Dave never had time to finish his explanation, as he heard someone call out from above the table. He crawled miserably out from beneath it, trying to avoid eye contact with any of the other students on his way.

He saw some of the teachers at the table, glaring at him, and others trying to restrain their laughter.

"Dave, seeing as this is Lunch and not one of our classes, I suppose I shouldn't be as concerned with your behavior, but!" Snape was the one to speak, and in Dave's eyes that was just as well. If anyone was going to lecture anyone, one could bet Snape would be first in line.

"It was my CAT! He ran over here and... and..."

"Your cat's behavior notwithstanding," Professor Mcgonagall called angrily, standing from her seat to join Snape. "I want you in my office as soon as Lunch Period is over, but in the meantime, take a seat somewhere. I don't CARE where, just sit and stay quiet, and make sure that cat does NOT leave your sight."

Dave nodded slowly, squeezing Peckles against him as he looked around awkwardly for a place to sit.

The students were staring at him as if to say, "Are you kidding?", and Dave took a step back, about to make his way back to his own table.

"Here." The scarred boy, Harry, spoke up.

"Harry!" Ron looked at Harry in disbelief. It felt like such a short time ago that Harry was trying to convince everyone he wasn't crazy, but now he was throwing that away.

Harry scooted aside, making a bit of room between himself and Ron, inviting him to sit.

For some reason, seeing Harry and Ron gave Dave an unpleasant feeling of something he couldn't put his finger on. He averted his attention to directly across the table to where Hermione was looking up at him expectantly, finding courage again.

"...Okay." Dave nodded as he slunk into the empty space.

"What was that all about?" Ron demanded quietly, staring from Dave to the cat.

"I don't know. Peckles just ran away from me, and... we ended up here." Dave answered, staring at the empty bit of table in front of him, then up to Hermione.

"Your cat... Peckles, was it?" Harry blinked, adjusting his glasses, as he looked Peckles over. "Where did you get him?"

"I found him on the street." Dave answered quickly, thinking that he'd rather be having this conversation with Hermione.

"...Have you noticed anything strange about him?"

"Other than he kind of looks like Mrs. Norris..." Ron added.

"He does, doesn't he?" Ginny, who had been silent and trying to remain unobtrusive in the presence of this strange boy, finally spoke up.

"No, he seems pretty normal... by cat standards, at least." Dave finally answered, despite the interruptions.

"I'm just curious." Harry explained, looking from Peckles to Dave. "It's just that... the last time Crookshanks got that angry, it was at Scabbers..."

"Scabbers?" Dave asked, completely lost.

"Peckles was rubbing up against me, Harry." Hermione said simply. "Crookshanks is a bit possessive."

"So you think he's jealous? CAN cats be jealous?" Ron asked, tilting his head at Hermione.

"I suppose you'd know about jealousy, wouldn't you, Ron?" Ginny called, smirking at the red-haired boy, whose face flushed again as he returned Ginny's smirk with an angry glare.

Dave had no idea what was going on, so he shook it off and looked up at Hermione, who was petting Crookshanks absently, her other arm holding the cat steady to make sure it wouldn't try and maul the two visitors again.

"How have your classes been going?" Hermione asked, hoping that they could get a conversation going.

"Terrible. It seems like at least one horrible thing has to happen to me during each of them. The fiasco during Transfiguration, falling asleep during Potions... I guess that's about it so far. Still, two for two."

"I felt that way too, at first." Harry nodded.

"Well, YOU were being stalked by you-know-who." Ron pointed out, much to Dave's confusion.

"Who knows what?" Dave blinked, looking at Ron.

"Lord Voldermort." Hermione said, quite clearly.

"Hermione!" Ron hissed, as if Hermione had uttered a curse word.

"It's alright." Hermione said, smiling. "He's gone now, unless you've forgotten."

"...Okay, okay, back up." Dave raised his hands, utterly confused. "I think I missed something here."

"Lord Voldermort was a powerful evil wizard who disappeared last year."

"We're not sure what happened, but Dumbledore assures us he's gone." Harry began to explain, but Dave cut him off.

"How come I'm always the last to hear about these things?" Dave asked, frowning.

"You're a transfer student from the States, right?" Hermione asked, leaning forward. "It's not surprising you wouldn't have heard. He was more of a problem here, but if he'd regained his old powers, he would have been a threat to the world."

"Now that he's gone, we can all rest a little easier." Ron smiled. "But we're not quite out of problems here." He glanced up at the teacher's chairs, one of them empty.

"...Whose chair is that?" Dave asked, following Ron's glance.

"The Defense against the Dark Arts teacher's chair..."

"Is he invisible?" Dave asked, entirely expecting something like that.

"No." Hermione shook her head. "Dumbledore hasn't been able to find anyone to fill the position yet."

"Just as well." Ron chuckled. "We end up learning more about it outside of class anyway."

"I always wondered why Dumbledore never tried teaching it." Harry suggested.

"Isn't it obvious?" Hermione raised an eyebrow at Harry. "Powerful as Voldermort is, he's only been around a little while by wizarding standards."

"Your point?" Ron asked skeptically.

"There are other wizards, and magical beasts who have been around much longer than Voldermort, or even Dumbledore... evil ones."

"So you're saying that Dumbledore is busy dealing with more powerful creatures, saving us from catastrophes while we're all hung up on Voldermort?" Ron asked, as if insulted. "Why would he do that?"

"Frightening as Voldermort was, he was, I suppose, a good way of distracting our attention. Can you imagine how this school would be if the students, the ministry, our parents, knew that we were in constant danger of being overrun by monsters, or something, with only Dumbledore between us and them? At least Voldermort was a popular and tangible threat; something we've all heard of and could see and were protected against. There's no telling what else could be out there."

"You're probably scaring Dave, Hermione." Ron said quietly, trying to hide his own shivers.

"Exactly." Hermione nodded. "I thought after Voldermort, Dumbledore would come teach Defense against the Dark Arts... the fact that he hasn't simply proves that there's still something out there that might still try to attack us."

"And there's also the fact that, I guess, Defense against the Dark Arts is still even a class. If Mortyvort were the only source of evil around here and now he's gone, what would be the point of teaching defense against it?" Dave suddenly piped up, already getting into what Hermione was saying, and surprising everyone within earshot at his exhibition of a rational thought.

"Well, there's no telling when another wizard might go bad..." Hermione answered, and now the four of them were glancing at each other unnerved, but Hermione soon spoke again.

"You said you weren't doing so well in your classes?"

"Not really... I mean I studied a lot back at USMA, but for some reason my magic tends to fizzle when I try and use it."

"Do you want some help?"

"Help?"

Some of the surrounding Gryffindors slumped a bit in their seats, knowing what was coming, as Hermione straightened up proudly in her seat.

"I've been talking with a few of the teachers, and I've organized a study group." She said eagerly, squeezing Crookshanks a bit.

"It's only been a day, and you're already trying to organize a study group?" Ginny asked. Apparently this was the first she'd heard about this.

"She's been planning this for a while." Ron said sarcastically, as if this WEREN'T. "Are you sure you want to ask him, Hermione? If people know he's in the study group..."

"Ron!" Hermione shouted at him, and Ron cringed, shutting his mouth.

"I have to agree with him." Dave gestured to Ron, secretly amused by Hermione putting him in his place. "If anyone else knows I'm in your study group, it's just gonna be you and me..."

Not that I'd be complaining...

"Not for long." Hermione smiled. "I know if anyone needs help, they will come, but after seeing the incredible student I'll make YOU into, they'll be breaking down the door to get lessons from me."

Dave blushed, and looked down into his lap, where Peckles lay quietly. Apparently he was still too put off by Crookshanks to go near Hermione.

"I hope you'll still remember us when you're a famous teacher, Hermione." Harry grinned.

"Oh, I could never forget you two." Hermione answered, acting as though she'd just won an award, but it was easy to tell she was kidding around.

"You'd better not forget me!" Ron folded his arms, pouting, and Harry chuckled.

Dave, meanwhile, was beginning to feel that things were starting to look up for him. At least, that was what he assumed. They certainly couldn't have gotten any worse...

Chapter 8 – "…Saw It Coming." (Soundtrack - None)

The audience with Professor McGonagall had ended abruptly. Hermione accompanied him, and had promised the professor that she would have this troublemaker behaving like a model student.

McGonnogal agreed, but Dave requested that he be lent a different animal to perform experiments on for each Transfiguration class.

Dave's final class of the day was Herbology, with the Gryffindor House... but Hermione was nowhere to be found.

"Well of COURSE she's not here." Ron said, matter-of-factly. "Hermione's a few levels ahead of us."

"Fantastic." Dave slumped against a table, almost knocking over the pots they'd been working with.

"Why do you care so much?" Ron asked with a suspicious glare, but he was cut off.

"I know how you feel." Harry offered, "Hermione was always a bit of a crutch for us when we were lost."

"Well, well, well!" Dave straightened, then cringed again as he heard the jesting voice of Professor Sprout behind him. Slowly, he turned to face her. "If it isn't the infamous Dave..."

"Oh, Professor Sprout... I completely forgot that you were the head of... that house I'm in."

"Hufflepuff, yes."

"Could you please not say its name? I get these sharp pains in my dignity when you do."

"Hufflepuffs! Gryffindors! Let's get to work."

"I think I hate this." Dave muttered to himself, as the Herbology lecture began.

Peckles was lazing about near Dave's ankles, and Dave was increasingly jealous that the cat didn't have to stand the whole time.

"Can anyone tell me the properties of Slippery Bloom?"

"It's got a really stupid name?"

Dave clapped a hand over his mouth, realizing he'd spoken aloud.

There was a collective chuckle; for the most part it was restrained. Though they found his antics entertaining, the other students tried not to laugh too hard, or risk losing points for their own house.

"5 points from!"

"AND the Slippery Bloom, also called Grease Weed back at USMA, can be made into a powerful lubricant, by grinding it down properly and mixing it with water."

"...That's... correct!"

"AND... when mixed with ... I think grapefruit juice, it becomes an equally powerful adhesive, and the only thing that can break that adhesive apart is the Grease Weed's opposite mixture."

There was now a collective hush where before there had been anger and some laughter.

"How... did you know any of that?" Audron demanded from across the table, unconcerned with breaking the silence.

"I suppose you thought I learned zilch back at USMA, huh?" Dave asked with a satisfied smirk.

"...5 points back to Hufflepuff." Sprout said, with a sort of puzzled pride that she didn't question for long.

"What else did you learn there?" Ron asked quietly as Sprout continued her lecture.

"That it is, quite possibly, the most miserable excuse for a magical facility in the western world."

"I meant besides that. Most of us had our ideas of USMA students, but you actually seem to know a few things."

"Well, I had plenty of time to study, but unfortunately in USMA we're not actually allowed to touch anything magical til our last year."

"It makes me glad to be in Hogwarts." Harry smiled.

"I don't see how you guys can stand this." Dave frowned. "Magic or not. I mean Animals into water goblets? Recap quizzes? Working with Grease Weed? The fact that everyone's more concerned with 'points' and stupid stuff like that than they are with actually teaching anything."

"How can you say that?" Dominick asked, only having been partially listening before.

"Hm." Fauss muttered. "He'll feel better about things once his study sessions with Hermione begin."

Dave flushed, cursing himself inwardly for doing so.

"How did you know about that?"

"There are flyers all over the school."

"Already?" Ron asked in disbelief. "Bloody hell, when she gets on some kind of crusade, there's no stopping her."

"Are you guys coming too?" Dave now felt a bit worried. He'd actually hoped for a little private time with Hermione.

"I think I'll pass." Geoffrey muttered, and the others around him nodded their heads. "I've got plenty of homework already."

"Homework?" Dave blinked, and looked back to Harry and Ron.

"Hermione works very hard. You can imagine how much she has to do to be as good a student as she is. I get the feeling she won't give up til everyone in her study group is as busy as she is."

"I can handle it." Dave muttered, more to himself than to the other students. He'd meant something more along the lines of "I WILL handle it, as long as it involves being with Hermione".

Dave's roommates, as well as Hermione's friends, glanced at each other uncertainly.

Peckles meowed, startling them out of their moment of tension, and attracting Madame Sprout's attention.

"Be quiet over there." Sprout called, not having entirely forgiven Dave for the way he undermined Hufflepuff as a whole.

If it weren't for the lack of a teacher, Dave's final class would have been Defense against the Dark Arts.

Professor Snape, the Potions Master, had been granted the position of teaching that class until a permanent replacement could be found. Through a single scheduling conflict, Snape could not teach his potions class and teach Defense against the Dark Arts to Dave's class simultaneously.

As a result, the last class period was empty for him and his roommates.

Dave spent this time wandering the school, trying to find his house again.

"Okay... that leaves me a few hours to get ready for Hermione's study session."

Peckles mewed again, walking a few paces behind Dave.

"I'd have to say Herbology was pretty painless... these classes really aren't so bad when things don't go horribly wrong. Actually working with the plants is much better than looking at pictures of them... except when working with those trees that bite you..."

"After all the friends you're starting to make, you wander around here alone with that cat of yours?" Dave stopped and blinked, looking from side to side. Finally recognizing the voice, he immediately began to walk again.

"I don't wanna talk to you..." Dave hissed as the Fat Friar appeared from one of the walls.

"It seems like you're starting to get used to things around here." The Hufflepuff ghost said quietly as he hovered next to Dave.

"My roommates can't stand me, and I can't stand them. The only reason I'm still talking to "scar" and "weasel" is so I can... er..." He trailed off, blushing again.

"Is that so?" The ghost asked, intrigued. "So you're only here for Hermione, hmm?"

"Don't say it... I really don't want to hear you say it."

"You complain til you're blue in the face, and yet the only reason you want to stay is because of one girl?"

Dave stopped.

"Wait... Say that again."

"...I said I think it's odd that your old school was so terrible, and yet the only reason you stay here is because of Hermione."

Peckles lay down on the floor, realizing that they probably weren't going anywhere for a while.

"Didn't they have girls back at USMA?"

"Well, of course, but... well... they were all... none of them were... umm... Look, I didn't ask to start feeling the way I do, but that doesn't change anything." Dave was beginning to sound very annoyed, and the spirit seemed a bit more apprehensive.

"Was your life before you joined the wizarding world any better?"

"...No, it was worse. You have no idea what it's like to know there's a whole other world out there and not be able to interact with it at all."

"But now that you can, you don't seem much happier."

"...Listen, we all have problems, alright?" Dave snapped. "Grass is always greener, and all that crap, you know? I'll bet you liked it being alive now that you're dead, right?"

"At least I can see the positive side to my situation."

"Oh, don't give me this 'look at the bright side' crap! I was feeling plenty jolly before you came around and started asking me all these stupid questions. Who made you the school psychologist anyway?

"...Right." The ghost nodded. "I'm sorry. I was just curious to see if things were improving."

"Truth be told? I have no idea." Dave sighed and walked past the ghost, Peckles springing to his feet, and trotting along behind.

The entire conversation had felt... strange.

There was only one thing he could think of to do when he felt this way.

Chapter 9 – Extracurricular Activities (Soundtrack - None)

"Harvesting souls?"

"Yeah. And with enough souls, I'll be able to summon the most powerful demons."

"Is there anything that can stop it?"

"The humans. The humans are the only ones with the ability to stop demons from-... No, not in that pile!"

Dave, who now sat in the Hufflepuff Common Room amidst piles upon piles of multicolored cards, waved a frantic hand at one of his fellow Hufflepuffs.

"I thought you said the green ones."

"Yeah. There are Humans, Demons, and Hybrids. That one's a Hybrid, which are kind of an off green. It sounds more complicated than it is. The differences are actually pretty simple."

Dave was using time better spent toward homework and studying to show Roland, Audron and Geoffrey how to play one of his collectible card games, while waiting for Hermione's study session to come around.

"Do the humans and demons attack each other? How do you get them to come out of the cards?"

Dave sighed.

"Not every game in the world is that... interactive." Dave muttered, remembering having seen a pair of wizards playing "Wizards Chess".

Geoffrey frowned with disappointment, as he listened to Dave's explanation.

"Usually it's the humans versus the demons. Demons are stronger, but Humans can be given improvements that demons can't, like weapons and armor and stuff. Demons have abilities that make them stronger at first, but humans have more potential."

"What about Hybrids?"

"Well, when you mix demon and human type cards together, you get a neat little guy called a hybrid. They have all the powers a demon has, along with the customizability a human has."

"So those are the best kinds of cards?"

"Pretty much, yes."

"Dave, didn't you have somewhere to be just now?" Roland suddenly pointed out, now looking at a Wraith card that somewhat resembled himself.

Dave blinked and looked up at the clock.

"Hermione's study session?" Audron added.

"Oh, crap, you're right!" Dave stood up, sending his cards everywhere. "Where's Peckles..." He murmured as he looked around the common room, and then ran up to his dorm.

"Dammit, he's not up there." He panted in frustration upon returning to the common room.

"I think I saw him outside." Dominick said, just walking in.

"Oh, well that's great... stupid cat."

Dave flinched, and ran back upstairs, returning with his schoolbooks.

"I can't believe I almost forgot my- dammit!"

He ran back upstairs, returning with his wand.

"Okay, books, wand, that's all I need, I think... Guys, if Peckles comes back, grab em and toss him in the dorm, and make sure he doesn't leave til I get back."

"Right." His roommates nodded absently as Dave left and began to rush through the halls, making a particularly daring leap through the Shifting Stairwell when he didn't think he would get there fast enough. As it was, he was already going to be late.

As he ran, he kept a close watch out for Peckles, rather than where he was going.

It was then that he remembered... he'd never asked where the study group was being held. Hermione must have been too excited about having someone coming to remember to tell him.

"Hermione?" Dave found himself calling loudly. "You around here anywhere?"

He checked the great hall, the library, the courtyard, the "owlry", and a few of the classrooms to no avail.

"Dammit..."

He turned around and rushed down another hallway, and began to descend down a short stairwell, when his foot slipped on one of the stairs, as if something had been spilled there.

"What the!" Dave hardly had time to curse as he tumbled down the stairs, and crashed at the bottom. It wasn't a long fall, but painful nonetheless.

As he lay at the base of the stairs, aching and dizzy, he saw a colorful figure hovering over him, chuckling.

"Watch that first step!" The chuckling voice spoke, and his voice echoed in Dave's mind, as his vision dimmed.

"Son of... a... you..." Dave mumbled, before falling completely unconscious, and Peeves the Poltergeist looked around, grinning and vanished through a nearby wall.

(Soundtrack - Dot Hack Sign: Sora)

Dave awoke some time later in an unfamiliar bed.

"Wha..." He groaned, holding his throbbing head. "What time is it..."

"It's eight o clock." Dave sat up quickly at the soft, female voice, trying to figure out where he was.

"AH... But... H-Hermione's!"

He groaned and fell back onto the bed. He turned his head, and saw a girl with dirty-blonde hair, sitting at his bedside.

"...Um... who are you?" Dave blinked, looking the new girl over, and noticing her Ravenclaw insignia, amidst jewelry made of bottle caps and other small, odd trinkets.

"Luna. Luna Lovegood. I found you in the hall. You were bleeding, so I decided to bring you to the infirmary."

"Bleeding? Where's Hermione?" Dave asked, but only getting a slight sigh out of the Ravenclaw girl. "Come on, I've got to tell her-... Oh, dammit... it's too late anyhow."

"You were trying to get to Hermione's study-group." Luna asked, looking down at her knees.

"Yes I was... and I am, but then the second I left my room, everything went wrong."

"It's alright."

"Wait, where was she? Where was the meeting supposed to be?"

"It was on the flyer. Didn't you read the flyer?"

Dave blinked. The flyers had been everywhere, and he hadn't thought to look at them.

"...Oh, God, I SUCK!" Dave slapped his forehead, realizing too late that he was already injured there, and wincing at the great surge of pain.

"That's too bad." Luna murmured. "I helped make those flyers."

"Great. That's just great. Now where is she? I really have to apologize."

"It's okay." Luna said with an absent expression on her face that never seemed to leave. "She found someone to spend her time with."

"What? What do you mean?" Dave asked, trying to take all of this in. "Who was with Hermione?"

"He's in the bed next to you."

Dave hadn't even looked in that direction since he'd regained consciousness. He turned and saw a familiar black cat with red eyes curled up on the bedspread.

"You!" Dave sat up, and suffered another stinging sensation in his head. "You stupid cat! Do you realize what you put me through?"

"Hm." Luna blinked at Dave, then over to Peckles. Her brow furrowed.

"Little pain in the neck! If he hadn't been gone when I went to Hermione's study group, I might have been thinking straight enough to think to check the flyers-... Do I sound really pathetic blaming the cat for my problems?"

"No." She shook her head slowly, looking back up to the cat's owner, her voice quieter than before.

"This is the worst day ever..."

"Really?" Luna asked, leaning forward a bit, almost a little too close. "What happened?"

"Well, first... um..." Dave faltered, glancing over at Peckles. He was sure he could look to the cat as inspiration for one of his good old-fashioned rants. Peckles wasn't looking at Dave, but staring at Luna.

"Hufflepuff?" Luna asked, trying to rekindle his frustration, but seemingly not for her own amusement. Strangely she hadn't laughed at him at all since he'd seen her.

"I hate the name... but the house itself isn't that bad... I think my roommates are getting used to me after today."

"Your classes?"

"My magic sucks, but I still remember enough to get me through my classes whether or not my magic fizzles out... I'm sure my teachers can forgive me for that..."

"You have your cat back, and you can talk to Hermione tomorrow. She's very nice, and she'll forgive you."

Dave blinked.

"Um... are you some kind of councilor?"

"No." Luna shook her head. "In fact some people think I'm a bit unusual."

Dave looked at the blonde girl with a raised eyebrow. It was strange. She hadn't said a single unkind thing to him, and she must have been as familiar as anybody else with his behavior. As a matter of fact, he felt oddly cheered up by the way she spoke, as well as the things she said.

"Do you think I'm unusual?"

"Uh... no." Dave shook his head after a few moments of scrutinizing and thought. She WAS unusual, in the sense that she was different from other people... "You said your name was Luna?"

"Yes. My father is the editor of The Quibbler magazine."

"Never read it. Sorry."

"You wouldn't have."

She stood up, brushing off her skirt to clean it, though Dave couldn't see any dust.

"Hey, um... Luna?" Dave called, raising his voice as Luna turned to leave.

"Hm?" She turned back with a flick of her hair, her strange jewelry clanking and jingling.

"Thanks for bringing me here."

Luna nodded, the hazy expression leaving her face for only an instant, as she flashed him a strange smile, that he got the feeling she didn't show many people.

"It's alright, but if you wanted to, you could do me a favor."

"Oh... well, okay. I owe you."

"Alright." Luna nodded, and promptly walked out the door. Dave sat there quietly, something about the strange blonde giving him an irregular queasy feeling, but in his mind, rather than his stomach, which seemed to contain a single butterfly.

"Huh... I kind of expected her to ask for something."

Peckles meowed, and hopped from the bed he'd been laying on to Dave's.

"Meanwhile, you and I have some things to talk about."

Chapter 10 – The End Of The Beginning (Soundtrack – None)

The next morning began with a resounding cheer from the Hufflepuff dorm.

Dave had realized after looking over his schedule that he had no classes whatsoever that day.

In comparison to other people, Dave realized that he probably had the single most open schedule of any student.

"What's got you in such a good mood?" Audron asked quietly as he slumped out of his bed. "Hermione's study session must have been something special."

"I never made it, but!"

"You never- what happened?" Dominick, already up and dressed, asked while fixing his hair.

"I fell down some stairs... that is I slipped on something Peeves the Poltergeist left there. I ended up in the infirmary."

"And you're happy about that? Who brought you to the infirmary?"

"Nevermind. The thing is I don't have any classes today, so that'll leave me plenty of free time to get my bearings after yesterday."

"That IS good news, I suppose."

"You're one lazy bastard." Geoffrey chuckled. "No classes... how do you get away with having fewer classes than us?"

"I'm an exchange student, and technically a first year; my options are kinda limited."

"I still think that's kind of weird."

"What's kind of weird?"

"Nothing." Dominick slung his book bag over his shoulder, and left the dorm as Dave, unable to get back to sleep with all the sounds of preparation, walked over to his shelves and collected his game cards.

"Hmm... I wonder..."

His roommates had been quite interested in the game. Maybe they were so caught up in playing wizard-oriented games like Wizard's Chess and Quidditch that they'd completely missed out on the Muggle fads.

This could be his first step on his way to redeeming himself, if he could get everyone else as intrigued with it as his roommates were. Of course they liked collecting those chocolate frog cards, so why wouldn't they like this?

The only trouble was, as he'd realized earlier, the wizarding world kept to its own effects, and as a result there wouldn't be a booster pack to be found for miles.

As he considered this, he heard a fluttering outside his window.

After waiting for a moment for his roommates to open it, but then realizing they were gone (except for Roland who was sleeping), Dave stood and opened the window.

One of the letter-carrying owls he'd seen while wandering around the previous night swooped in, depositing a letter on his bed, and making a u-turn to leave again.

"...So this is the alternative to E-mail..." Dave murmured quietly as he reached down and opened the letter.

It was from Hermione.

Dave was worried at first, but as he read, he sighed with relief.

Apparently Hermione had spoken with Luna Lovegood, and already was aware of the situation.

"Wow..." Dave smiled as he folded up the letter, and put it in his drawer... feeling compelled to keep something Hermione had touched. "I guess I got pretty lucky, huh Peckles?" Dave smiled, but as he turned to face the cat it was already making its way out the door. "...Figures."

He collected his cards and put them in his book bag, deciding to spend his day off in the great hall until Hermione found him again. They could try the Study Group again today if she wanted, but even if that didn't work, this was still only the second day. They had a whole year to do it.

As he considered this, thoughts of Luna Lovegood suddenly entered his mind. He didn't see how he could have missed her before, if she and Hermione were friends.

Wait a minute... Dave thought, interrupting the freeze-frame image of the strange blonde girl in his mind. ...Am I blushing? I AM blushing... He swallowed, feeling unsteady on his feet. I didn't feel this way before, and she was looking me right in the face! What's going on here?

He looked down at the book bag now filled with cards, and decided to force the odd sensations that now filled him out via brainless gaming.

Dave couldn't remember the last part of his life that involved downtime. In muggle school he was always busy with something, whether it be homework or chores or something else. In USMA, it was all voluntary, but nevertheless hectic.

Times like these, Dave realized, were the closest he ever came to really feeling happy. Completely forgetting about whatever problems he had, focused only on not focusing on anything, this was when he was in his best spirits.

"Let's see... this goes in the Magic pile... and this goes in the Demon pile..." Dave now stood in the great hall, using one of the long tables to sort out his collection of cards, yet again. This proved to be a much better place for doing it, as nobody was going to step on them or anything like that. The place was empty for the time being, so it was unlikely anyone would spill on them either.

"What are you doing?"

Dave blinked and turned, jarred from his blissful state of mind, to see a snobbish looking blonde haired Slytherin boy.

"Hmm?" Dave was, unaware that anyone had entered, or of how much time must have passed since he'd started working. It seemed his endeavor WAS attracting attention though, as he'd hoped.

"What is this?"

Whoever the kid was, they had no manners at all, it seemed. He reached down and plucked one of the cards from one of Dave's carefully sorted piles. Dave was about to protest loudly and angrily, but decided to wait and see how this would play out.

"It's a card game that I play." Dave explained slowly.

"I guessed that much." The blonde boy said, frowning with distaste as he put the card back where he found it. "I was just wondering why you'd be defiling this place with dimwitted Muggle pastimes."

"Dimwitted WHAT!" Dave frowned. "Wait... who are you?"

"Draco Mal!"

"Malfoy. Right, right, right. I heard someone mention you... I've got to say, you've earned what gossip says about you."

"...And that is?"

"I can't say. I'll lose house points." Dave HAD heard about Draco Malfoy, and if there was anything he could lord over the Slytherin, it was that people found HIS bad behavior amusing, rather than flat-out rude.

There was a moment of intense silence as Draco and Dave glared at each other. Draco suddenly stood up straight with a strange grin on his face.

"I saw what happened during the sorting, and I know what's been going on. I have my sources."

"Whoop-de-doo." Dave rolled his eyes. "So did everyone else, and what do you mean 'you know what's going been going on'?"

"Between you and that mudblood, Granger."

"... Mud-what? ...And what about Hermione?" Dave raised an eyebrow. Maybe it was the fact that he had working on his cards, or that he was in a conversation with one of the most hated kids in the school, but the mention of his secret crush didn't give him the same strange feeling of butterflies he usually got.

"You people think just because you're from another country you have the right to be ignorant about everything... A mudblood is a person who isn't a pureblooded wizard like me."

"...Okay, back up. What does that have to do with you coming in and insulting my favorite card games?"

"I don't know why you put on that act for everyone else around here when we've all seen what you're capable of. The fact of the matter is you seem to have something in common with myself, and a few of my associates."

"You have associates? What are you, the Godfather of Slytherin?" Dave soon realized his references to pop-culture were lost on these people. "Most people have friends."

"You should talk." Draco said, more smug than usual all of a sudden. "Harry Potter low-class little group? Your motley roommates? If I were you, I'd be begging me for a place in my inner circles."

"...Are you coming on to me?"

"The Malfoy family is very well known-..." Malfoy continued, trying to maintain his pompous façade despite his obvious outrage.

"Around here, at least."

"...and it would behoove you to accept the proposal I have."

"Look, I really don't have time for this."

"And you do have time to fool around with these little pieces of cardboard?"

"Tell that to the people who collect Chocolate Frog cards."

"At least they're-..."

"There's no difference, other than the picture on those cards go away whenever they want to! Look, Malfoy, I really don't want to give you a bad name by letting you be seen with me." Dave tried, trying to pander to Draco's ego, which he seemed to have plenty of. "I don't even get why you'd want to enlist me in your little crew anyhow."

"You're disappointed with the way this school is run. You know it, and I know it. I'm disappointed as well, and the two of us are not alone."

Dave didn't say anything, watching as Draco turned on his heel and walked back to the Slytherin table.

Dave realized Draco must have known he would be here, and must have hurried to get here ahead of the other students for the lunch period. Other students were beginning to arrive, but rather than consider that any further, he began to put his cards back into condensed piles.

It took about five minutes to get the cards back in his book bag, but by then the other students, mostly the Hufflepuffs, had seen them, and were already asking him questions about it.

Thankfully they were, for the most part, more accepting of it than Malfoy had been.

This was remotely what Dave had been hoping for. People were actually talking to him, and asking him less and less about his angry and magic-less episodes.

"It's too bad there aren't any games you can play with these." One of the Hufflepuffs said, looking at his own Chocolate Frog cards.

"...How many different Chocolate Frog cards are there?"

"Probably about one hundred and forty, more or less."

"...I think you may have given me an idea." A smile began to tug at the edges of Dave's lips, but was interrupted as a crashing sound, and an uproar of laughter broke his train of thought.

Up until today, Dave hadn't interacted with the Slytherins much, but if they were laughing, it probably wasn't at anything funny.

He turned to face their table, where the loud noises had emanated from, and saw a familiar flash of dirty-blonde hair.

"...Luna..." Before he could stop himself to think rationally, his feet were already moving. He darted past a few incoming students, bobbing and weaving to get around between the Ravenclaw and Slytherin tables, where Luna had already stood back up, and was brushing herself off.

"Luna, are you alright?" he asked, completely forgetting about everything else as the blonde turned back to face him.

"I'm-" But before Luna could finish, one of the Slytherins spoke up.

"Heh heh, look, it's Luna's knight in stupid armor..." Which met with a chuckle from the Slytherin table.

"It's alright." Luna began. "This happens sometimes."

Dave wasn't listening. He glared at the Slytherins, and pulled out his wand.

"Oh, yeah, what are you going to do?" One of the Slytherins asked, making no move toward their own wands. "Do nothing at me?"

"If my magic DOES work, consider yourself lucky." Dave growled, "Because if it doesn't, I'm going to shove this wand right into your eye socket."

The chuckling stopped, and Dave froze. It was as though he had been sleepwalking, and just woke up again. He turned to see many of the students staring at him, waiting to see what would happen... and noticed Hermione there, holding Peckles in her arms.

He had run right past her.

He hardly had time to consider how foolish he was being before Peckles sprang out of Hermione's arms, and sprang from the Ravenclaw table onto Dave's shoulder.

Hermione was staring at him with an expression of confusion.

...I was just trying to help Luna. She and Hermione are friends. She'll forgive me for this, as long as I don't take it any further." He thought, breaking eye contact with Hermione (to his disappointment), and looked back to the Slytherin table.

"...Don't ever... EVER touch her again." He growled in a strange, menacing voice that was even more frightening than before, and one of the Slytherins could see a bit of lightning crackle at the tip of his wand. He turned, robes swishing, before walking unimpeded back to his own table.

The Slytherins simply looked at each other as Focus on Dave diminished and conversations began again, until one of them reached up for a jug of pumpkin juice... which shattered soundlessly.

Draco looked from it back to the Hufflepuff table, deep in thought.

"I heard about yesterday. I'm very sorry about your accident. I guess you're feeling better, though..." Hermione spoke softly, approaching Dave after he'd sat back down at his table.

"Y-yeah..." Dave nodded vacantly. He was busy staring at his food, which he couldn't find an appetite for. Peckles hopped off his shoulder and capitalized on the situation.

"I want to thank you for what you did for Luna. She doesn't have many friends... but try not to pick any more fights. I promised Professor McGonagall that I would steer you away from that." Hermione tried to be stern, but couldn't help smiling. This was a side to him none of them had yet seen.

"We'll try the study session again... um... hmmm... tomorrow's no good, and... come to think of it, the rest of the week isn't very good for me."

"Weekend?" Dave suggested, slowly coming back to himself and to the fact that he was speaking to Hermione.

"If you've got time."

"I've got nothing but time."

"I see." Hermione nodded, looking over at the large card box near Dave's seat. "Anyway, I'll be back..." Hermione promptly walked away, and it took Dave a moment or two to pick his jaw up off the ground.

Peckles hissed up at him, breaking him out of his haze.

"...Oh, and YOU! What is your problem? I thought we had a discussion about your running off."

Peckles gave him a glare, before slumping unhappily.

"That's what I thought."

He turned back, glancing over to where Hermione was now talking to Luna Lovegood.

"Okay; Magic, working. Classes, tolerable. Reputation, salvageable... but why can't I get this shaky feeling out of my stomach? Like... something's still not right here?" Dave murmured quietly to Peckles, glancing from Hermione and Luna to Draco Malfoy and his cronies, to the empty Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor's chair, and the rest of the faculty as they piled in for lunch.

Something definitely felt wrong... and Dave had the strangest notion that whatever it was, he was directly in the middle of it.

Chapter 11 - Starting Things Off With A "Bang"

Dave suddenly sat up, panting, dressed in his pajamas and tangled in heavy blankets.

"Oh, man... what the hell was that? It started off as such a nice dream, too..."

Little had changed since Dave's first days at Hogwarts, several months ago. He was still a bit of a loner, and he was still as clumsy as ever. Things still went wrong, but the students and faculty tended to forgive him now.

Peckles was as aloof as ever, but after a few stern lectures, he had learned to be back in time for each of Dave's classes.

As for Hermione, the study sessions between her and Dave were quiet and uneventful. Much of their time together consisted of Dave nodding, blushing, and mimicking Hermione's wand motions. Meanwhile Crookshanks and Peckles fought, sometimes violently, for the right to walk in figure-8s around Hermione's ankles.

Dave never had the nerve to tell Hermione anything as far as his feelings went. Therefore he'd decided to go about it via the Secret Admirer angle, in a letter he'd sent several weeks ago.

"My Dearest Hermione;

Since the year's beginning, I've been thinking only of you.

Your sparkling eyes and beautiful hair, your scholarly wisdom and the irresistibly spirited voice you use to express it...

To deny your charms is no simpler to me than to articulate them to you personally, which is why I can only send you this token of my feelings for you.

Please enjoy this gift, and fear not. Though I at present lack the courage to reveal myself, I shall do so only when the time is right: on the stroke of six on the night of Hogwarts Yule Ball."

Dave had gone through several drafts to reach the peak of his romantic literary potential. During the process, he'd accidentally written things like "beautiful blonde hair" and "enchanting serenity", which made no sense as Hermione had neither blonde hair or a serene manner, and paid no heed as to where he might have conjured up such material.

"Are you kidding me?" Ron groaned as he read the letter.

"I fail to see what's so unbelievable. Ron." Hermione glared at him as she sorted through the gift that had accompanied the letter; an array of fine candies from Honeydukes Sweetshop.

"Do you think Viktor might have sent this?" Harry asked, taking the letter from Ron, and looking it over. "He might be trying to win you back."

"No. I don't see the point. He's not exactly a 'secret' admirer, and I've already made things clear to him."

"A few bludgers to the head things wouldn't be clear to me." Ron chuckled.

"You would know." Harry countered, beginning to hum the melody to "Weasley is our King" before Ron nudged him roughly in the shoulder.

"It must be someone from the school." Hermione said. "The handwriting looks familiar, but I can't place whose it is."

"How many people's handwriting do you look at?"

"Well, yours and Ron's, for one."

"You helped Neville in the first few years. They could be from him."

"He's not exactly the type to write such... um... mushy stuff." Harry said quietly, glancing over at the aforementioned young Gryffindor who was struggling with the latest Potions assignment.

"Everyone speaks better on paper." Hermione said quietly. "Technically it could be anybody."

"It says "Since the year's beginning," That must mean that whoever it is must have only known you since the start of this year. Do we know anyone like that?"

"I think it's obvious." Ron jerked a thumb behind him, over at where Dave was scolding Peckles for mussing up his aspiring Chocolate Frog Card collection.

"You're joking." Hermione quirked an eyebrow.

"It would make sense." Harry agreed, glancing over at Dave as well. "He's been here that long."

"And he's the only one who's willing to survive your Study sessions." Ron said, and Hermione kicked him in the shin.

"I don't think so. He's been making tremendous progress, and really hasn't tried to flirt with me at all."

"Has he been blushing, and not talking at all?"

"...Sometimes..."

"I thought you were smarter than this when it comes to this sort of thing, Hermione." Harry folded his arms.

"I'm smarter than you, that's for certain. Remember Cho?"

"...Must you throw that in my face?"

"Yes!"

Ron snorted and glanced away from Harry and Hermione who were now squabbling over who was right, and why it mattered, staring at Dave, who half-tossed Peckles out of the lunchroom before returning to sorting his cards.

"Fine! You want to see? We'll go up to him, and ask him if he sent it."

"Well, he said that he was going to show himself on the day of the Yule Ball..."

"Oh, I get it. Now you're unsure and you're going to back out of the argument. Well, forget it. The fact is I'm just as curious as you, so I'm going to go over there and ask him!"

Hermione stood up, holding the letter in one hand, and walked briskly toward the Hufflepuff table.

Dave was staring intently back and forth between a Dumbledore card and the genuine article, apparently fascinated.

"Dave, I-..." Hermione began, but Dave raised a hand to quiet her.

"Hold on... Is there a place that Dumbledore stands where the picture on the card is projected from? Or is there a thing in Dumbledore's brain that lets him decide when he's on the card and when he's not? How does it work?"

"...Um..." Hermione, rather upset after her argument about such a sensitive topic, found herself a bit perplexed at Dave's random question. "Actually I was... going to ask you something." Hermione slowly offered Dave the note.

Dave took the letter, reading it over.

"...Hm." He shrugged and handed it back to her. "Who's it from?"

"I was going to ask you." Hermione said quietly. "But since you don't know, I guess I can go back to my seat and tell Harry he was wrong."

"Wrong about what?"

"Nothing, nothing..." Hermione waved a hand in a dismissive gesture before giving Dave a nod and rushing back to her table.

"Well, that was... hm." Dave blinked. Never before had he ever achieved that level of calm in that kind of situation. He knew he'd written that letter, but he'd kept a perfect poker face... as if he didn't care at all.

"Generally I'd be feeling a sense of conniving satisfaction right about now..." He sighed, remembering that day. "But that did it for my cash. Half went toward the chocolate frogs, and the other half toward Hermione's gift... and adding insult to injury, I lost all the chocolate frogs, too. I'll bet they're all living in a community for escaped candies or something."

Dave crawled out of bed and looked around, Peckles still curled up on the warm blankets.

His roommates were still asleep, and it looked like dawn was only beginning to break.

Quietly and quickly, Dave dressed and crept to the Hufflepuff common room.

It was far too early for breakfast, and that dream he'd had was still on his mind.

In it, he was standing in the classroom Hermione gave her study sessions in. He was kissing her, over and over again, and with every kiss, Hermione gave him a puzzled expression as though uncertain what it meant. When he turned away from her, he saw Peckles, who began speaking in Draco Malfoy's voice. Something about "not losing sight". Turning back to where Hermione had once stood, he saw Luna Lovegood instead, who was staring at him in neither the distant gaze she usually had, nor that rare smile that had stuck in his mind... but a tear stricken, pleading look.

That was when he had awoken... and now, he began to think about Luna.

As it was, he still felt like he was dreaming. After he'd left his room, the walls around him felt like they were beginning to lose their solidity, and so many strange feelings began to cluster in Dave's mind.

He wondered how things were at home. He wondered what his sister was doing, now that she'd graduated. He wondered what was becoming of USMA, and of his old muggle school.

He sat in one of the comfortable common room chairs, drawing his knees to his chest and leaning his forehead against them, trying to get that feeling out of his head.

Today would be one of those special days: the beginning of a Hogsmeade weekend. The first weekend he'd gone there, he'd learned about Honeyduke's sweetshop, among other things.

Without any money though, he'd have little to do this time around.

"Well... it'll be nice to get out of school for the weekend, at least." Dave murmured to nothing, but jumped slightly when a muffled 'meow' answered him.

Dave lifted his head glanced over the arm of the chair, and saw Peckles stretching on the floor.

For the second time Dave had known him, Peckles was holding an envelope in his mouth.

Dave blinked and took the letter, noticing that it had the Hogwarts Owlry postage seal on it, meaning it had to be from another student.

Dave tilted his head, more concerned with the safety of the delivery owl than anything else as he peeled open the envelope and drew forth the letter.

His eyes skimmed the paper, which turned out to be mostly blank... and he scowled at the paper's contents.

"I know.

-Draco"

"...Dammit." Dave cursed and stood, Peckles hurrying after him as he left the common room, and headed for the Great Hall.

Chapter 12 - Community Service (Soundtrack – None)

Dave was well aware that Draco Malfoy knew about his crush on Hermione. Of course he did. Everybody did... everybody but her, thankfully.

He had only known Draco through that single conversation they'd had all that time ago, when Draco had been trying to 'recruit' him for whatever reason.

He had known kids like this back at his old schools; rich manipulative snobs with nothing better to do than collect other kids to do their dirty work like some sort of low-grade super villain.

"When we get there, feel free to do that mauling thing you do." Dave said quietly down to Peckles as they wandered toward the great hall. Obviously Draco wanted something special if he'd taken the time to write a whole three-word owl to him.

The Great Hall was empty for the most part. It was still a little too early for breakfast, and most students were either grooming themselves, or still asleep.

Of course, Draco was already seated at the Hufflepuff table, waiting for him.

"Okay, let's make this quick." Dave muttered as he sat across from the Slytherin, trying to gauge the relative degree of how fiendish Draco's request would be.

"Good to see you again." Draco said with a forced note of civility.

"Okay, cut the crap." Dave held up the letter. "What's this all about?"

"I just wanted to do you a little favor." Draco said, fiddling around in his robes, searching for something.

"What? Are you still trying to hit on me?" Dave asked, sitting down in his seat.

Draco's face went red with rage, as he stood, looking disgusted that, he'd let any part of himself touch the Hufflepuff table.

"I just have a little something to go in with your next sweets shipment." Draco smirked, extending a hand. Dave reached out and Draco dropped a small package into his palm.

"What is it?"

"Fudge. What does it look like?"

"You tell me."

"You DO know what fudge is, right?"

Dave stood up slowly, looking from the package in his hand to the smirking blonde boy.

"...So as I understand it, you come up to me months ago, and make fun of my card games in some weird attempt to get on my good side, and now, you start giving me fudge to give to Hermione, when you've made it publicly clear that you hate 'mudbloods'."

"...So?"

"So what kind of idiot do you think I am?"

"You think there's something wrong with it?"

"I KNOW there's something wrong with it! What did you do?"

Frustrated with all of this, Dave opened the package and looked at what was inside.

Draco watched with a repressed smirk as Dave looked over the fudge.

"I'd like to see exactly what you were planning on doing to Hermione... and if something goes wrong, well, let's just say I'll feel more comfortable exposing you than I will apologizing to Hermione."

Dave broke off a bit of chocolate, popped it into his mouth, chewed slowly, and swallowed.

"...Well, you may as well eat it all." Draco shrugged and turned to walk away. "To tell you the truth, it wasn't really for your little friend anyway."

Dave blinked, and then realized...

"You were never going to tell Hermione anything at all, were you?"

"Of course not. It's not my place to tell anyone that sort of thing directly... especially since you'll be telling her next time you see her."

"...Truth serum?" Dave asked with a deadpan expression, not wanting to give Draco the satisfaction of knowing how pissed he'd made him.

"And here I thought USMA students were complete nitwits."

Calmly, or at least with a very convincing veil of calm, Dave stood up from his chair, leaving the fudge behind, Peckles beginning to gnaw at it.

Dave walked after Draco to the Slytherin table.

"Why are you following me? Your little mudblood love should be walking through the door any!"

Draco never finished his taunt. The wind was knocked out of him as Dave slammed his fist into Draco's stomach. Dave may have not been that strong, but it was rage, not muscle, that powered his attack.

Draco crumpled to the ground, clutching his abdomen as Dave turned and began walking back to his own table.

He noticed other students, who were beginning to pile in, were now staring in shock.

Of course. Dave muttered.

"What... what did you-...?" One of Draco's lackeys, Goyle, growled, stepping out of the crowd and into Dave's path.

"Nothing. I did nothing." Dave growled, drawing his wand. "And you should probably get out of my way before 'nothing' happens to you two as well."

Goyle drew his wand unsteadily and Crabbe followed suit, but even with their superior numbers, they found themselves strangely unable to do anything as they tried to stare the Hufflepuff down.

"G..et... him..." Draco choked, trying to catch his breath, now on all fours and glaring at his cronies.

"You'll do no such thing!" Professor McGonagall shouted as she waded through the sea of chattering students.

Dave withdrew his wand.

"What happened here?"

"Nothing." Dave said again... and this time both he and Draco realized that whatever truth serum Draco had used apparently hadn't worked.

Draco's eyes widened.

"Dave, despite the way you acted earlier this year, I don't see you as they type to go picking fights for no reason. Nevertheless, I'm going to have to ask to see you in my office immediately."

Dave's face was pale and his body was trembling with hatred for Draco, embarrassment, and despair at his current situation.

Here he'd just gotten used to his life at Hogwarts, and now he was back where he'd started.

Dave grabbed Peckles, and the fudge, and followed Professor McGonagall as she returned to her office.

"Now, tell me what happened." Professor McGonagall asked, after sitting at her desk.

"What's there to say? I know you won't believe me." Dave said dismissively, Peckles curling up in his lap.

"I'm giving you a chance to have your say in the matter."

"And why isn't Draco here?"

"I've heard his say in the matter all too many times. He's gotten into a great many physical disputes since his time at Hogwarts began."

"And he hasn't been expelled?"

"His father, Lucius Malfoy-..."

"Right... he's rich and powerful and just as snobbish as his kid is."

"You're treading on thin ice as it is, young man. Now either tell me exactly what happened or I'll be forced to forbid you from attending the Hogsmeade trip."

Dave said nothing for a moment, and then held out a hand containing the half-eaten fudge.

"I think Draco wanted this whole fight thing to happen, just to get me in trouble. He tricked me into eating this fudge, which he claimed was laced with truth serum. I guess it wasn't, since, you know, I can still lie... which I'm not doing now..."

"Why would he give you something laced with truth serum?"

"He wanted me to embarrass myself in front of... someone I like." Dave explained quietly, face reddening.

Professor McGonagall sighed and nodded; waving her wand over the chocolate... but then a puzzled look came over her.

"What?" Dave blinked, quirking his head.

"Nothing. Professor McGonagall explained slowly. "There's no need to try and defend yourself. I was simply curious about the details of this incedent. As it is, you'll be allowed to attend the Hogsmeade trip, but you'll be required to spend your time there working as an employee of one of the wizarding shops, without pay, as community service for what you have done… that, and I will be deducting twenty points from Hufflepuff."

"Right, right... I understand." Dave sighed. At least this solved the question of what he'd be doing during his Hogsmeade weekend without any money.

"Mr. Malfoy may have gotten what he deserved, but there will still be consequences for it. I don't want to see you starting, or finishing, any more fights."

Dave nodded again, standing up, and Peckles hissed as he was unintentionally dumped out of his owner's lap.

"I'll send a letter to Professor Sprout, and she will tell you where you'll be working for the weekend, and depending on the Malfoy Family's decision, possibly longer."

Dave gave a slight, automatic bow, and left the office.

"That could have gone worse." Dave said to Peckles, whom was gnawing at the hem of his robes, still apparently upset at having been dropped.

Dave felt that on one hand, he would still get to go to Hogsmeade, and he wouldn't be sued or expelled.

On the other he would be made to do community service, probably handling exploding beetles or something. If school in the wizarding world was ungodly, he didn't want to imagine what work was like. That, and he'd been exposed to truth serum... and a great deal of it judging from how McGonagall was gawking at the fudge when she'd tested it... and it hadn't had any effect on him.

He wasn't sure what was good news and what wasn't anymore.

He simply went back to his room, waiting for the order for the students to gather for the Hogsmeade trip, or the owl from Professor Sprout, whichever came first.

"Granted, nobody's gonna say he didn't deserve it." Dominick said quietly, still packing up his things. "But did you really need to punch him? It didn't seem necessary since nothing really went wrong."

"I didn't know everything was going to be okay at the time." Dave replied. "And it's fine. Professor McGonagall already gave me my punishment."

"And that is?" Roland asked, looking his toad over to see if it looked like it needed anything from Hogsmeade.

"Community Service. I've got to go work at-..." He was just about to hesitate and explain that he didn't know, when the window flew open, still cracked open from the first owl to arrive that day. A second bundle of feathers flew by, dropped the letter from Professor Sprout into Dave's waiting hands, and was on its way.

Dave opened it quickly.

"...Gimmie a minute, I'm just about to find out..." Dave opened it quickly, skipping all the stuff about how disappointed Sprout was pretending to be about some rich asshole getting his comeuppance.

"Therefore we regret to inform you that for the remainder of the Hogsmeade Weekend as well as the following weekends for the remainder of the year, you will be employed without pay at..." Dave didn't finish. He was too busy trying to retrieve his jaw from where it had hit the floor.

"What?" Audron reached out and plucked the letter from Dave's hand, and looked it over in a similar, speedy fashion. "...Dear God!"

"What? Where is he working?" Dominick asked.

"...Honeyduke's Sweetshop!"

Chapter 13 – Bitter Candy (Soundtrack - Vertical Horizon: Finding Me)

"Honeyduke's Sweetshop, huh?" Dave grunted as he took a crate of Chocolate Frogs from the storage room and began to carry it up the stairs. "More like Honeyduke's Sweatshop."

He sighed, making his careful ascension with Peckles underfoot as always.

"Way to go... I've only been here a few days, and I'm already complaining... it could be worse, I guess... They could have me dusting cobwebs out of the Shrieking Shack- GODDAMMIT!" Dave was cut off as wizards and witches, all of whom were snatching as many chocolate frogs as they could from inside the crate, overran him.

"Did anyone get the number of that train?" Dave mumbled as he lay comically on the ground under a now empty crate.

"Look at it this way, at least now you don't have to put them on the shelves." The owner chuckled. "I should have warned you. The new Chocolate Frog Cards were being released today."

"Damn. The people here are starving for hobbies." Dave put the crate down long enough to brush himself off, then hauled it back downstairs to put with the trash.

Dave hadn't known there would be new chocolate frog cards released that day. He had wanted a few of them in general for his collection/experiment he'd been working on, so he'd kept a small cache of them... but with such a high demand for them, it didn't look like the owner would let him buy them.

"Dave!" Dave straightened as he thought he'd heard Ron Weasley's voice... but that was impossible. Nobody was allowed in the storeroom. He turned to see Ron, Harry and Hermione slowly climbing out of a small trap door in the floor of the storeroom; one he'd completely overlooked before this point

"What- what are you three-...?" Dave blinked in confusion, wondering how the three of them had gotten there.

"Ron, they're probably sold out by now!" Harry muttered to Ron with as he emerged from the passage.

"It's your fault for sleeping in, Hermione!" Ron glared over Harry's shoulder as the scarred boy helped Hermione up and out of the trap door.

"You didn't have to bring me along, you two. I could have come here myself."

"What's going on here?" Dave asked, completely bewildered.

"Are they? Are all the Chocolate Frogs gone?" Ron asked, crestfallen.

"Hello there!" Before Dave could answer, Hermione interrupted, kneeling down and holding her arms out to Peckles who sashayed proudly into a warm, nuzzling embrace. She turned up to Dave, who was now envying the cat with every inch of his body.

"How did you three get in here?" Dave asked a final time, before Harry answered.

"There's a passageway between here and Hogwarts."

"I guess that makes my commute to work a little quicker..." Dave smiled.

"How has it been here?" Hermione asked. "Luna mentioned seeing you when she stopped by to pick up something to send to her father."

"Oh." Dave nodded, the mention of the blonde in the presence of Hermione causing him to falter. "Well... it's been... kinda busy."

"I can imagine why." Harry looked to Ron, who was still looking hopefully at Dave.

"Are there?" Ron began again, but Dave, now more irritated than concerned with his collection, pointed stiffly at his hidden cache of chocolate frogs.

Ron spat out a hurried thanks as he rushed up the stairs with the frogs clustered in his arms. Harry sighed and hurried after him, leaving Dave alone with Hermione and Peckles.

"We really appreciate this, Dave." Hermione murmured as she watched her friends vanish.

"It's alright." Dave nodded, sighing a little.

(Soundtrack – None)

A few moments went by, before Hermione spoke again.

"I think... Luna might be interested in you."

Dave, who had been trying to settle his emotions, the sensation of being alone with Hermione outside of a classroom setting, was sent reeling from any daydreams he might have been having by what she said.

"I might be wrong," Hermione continued, scratching Peckles behind the ears, trying to calm the suddenly agitated cat. "I've only heard this second hand from Ginny Weasley, but-..."

"No." Dave suddenly said in a low voice that frightened Hermione somewhat.

"...No?" Hermione repeated, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable as she knelt again to let Peckles go, the black cat darting to the ankles of its owner and turning to stare at her.

Dave watched her all the while, a strange feeling coursing through him.

"...I don't... I can't... that is, you-... I-... you..." He stumbled over his words, hands clenching and unclenching sporadically.

"Did I say something wrong?" Hermione asked nervously. She wasn't frightened of him per se. After all, she'd known him for some time now. However the last time she'd ever seen him act like this was when he and Luna were being harassed by the Slytherins... and she wasn't sure how to handle being on the receiving end of it...

"If you... if you want, I'll tell her you don't-"

"No. No, don't say a word." Dave shook his head. "Don't tell anybody anything..."

"But if you're not interested, it might be better if I tell her... I'm her friend."

"NO. You don't understand." He shook his head stiffly. "I'll tell her myself... if you tell her anything, it will just make things worse... you don't know..."

He trailed off, swallowing hard, and looking up to face her.

She was staring at him with an expression that gave him a strange sinking feeling… He'd seen her look at him this way only once before, in a dream…

"Stop looking at me like that." He murmured with a strange expression... and she opened her mouth to speak, but they were both cut off by the sound of the door to the storeroom opening, as Ron and Harry returned.

"Thanks again, Dave." Ron said, far too concerned with his investment of candy collectibles to notice the air of foreboding that filled the room... something that Harry noticed immediately, especially when Hermione took a hurried step to put herself next to her friends.

Dave stared at the three of them, and Ron finally noticed something wasn't right.

"...You should leave." Dave finally broke the silence, and stepped aside to clear the way to the trap door.

"What's..." Ron began, but silenced himself as he followed his friends to the passageway out.

Dave turned away, not wanting to watch as the three made their exit.

"Hermione..." He spoke softly before the passage door closed. Not hearing the click of the door closing, he continued. "...I might not make it to the next study session."

The door closed, and Dave slumped against a wall.

"What do I... do now?"

He had no time to consider what he had just done, as Peckles suddenly rushed forward and bit the back of his leg.

Dave cried out and staggered forward, whirling around to glare at the cat.

"What are you doing?" Dave asked. "There was no reason to...!" Both cat and owner glared at each other for a very long time, before Dave's spoke softly.

"Did I just say something?" He asked, looking around, now just as nervous as Hermione had been moments before.

"It doesn't matter... I can blame it on something else... a rough day at work... She'll forgive me... she has to. I can't let this whole thing blow up in my face after I've worked so hard..."

He spent the rest of the day repeating this to himself, over and over, until the time came to leave, and he used the passage between Hogwarts and Honeyduke's to get back home... but the short trip did nothing to ease his nerves.

In fact, it was starting to feel like nothing ever would again.

Chapter 14 – Revelation and Revolution (Soundtrack – None)

"A game you can play with Chocolate Frog Cards?" One of the young wizards asked, looking over the counter at Honeyduke's as Dave began to explain his endeavor. "I thought they were just for trading."

"You can still trade em." Dave explained with excitement. "But I just came up with a few rules and statistics for each wizard. I spent all kinds of time researching wizard artifacts and spells and all sorts of stuff to make this game work.

Dave HAD spent a good deal of time since the newer Chocolate Frog Cards were released doing research and making rules... anything to drown out the voices in his head. Of course the research back at USMA helped, and this additional research also helped in his classes, so one couldn't sat he was totally slacking off.

"That's brilliant!" a witch piped up from the crowd that was rapidly beginning to gather.

"The only problem was I couldn't afford to print up the rules for this game until recently. I got a few... anonymous donations." Dave cleared his throat, and glanced up at the owner of the shop.

There was a stack of Rules Sheets next to the Chocolate Frogs display, which explained exactly how the game worked. Of course the owner of the store was more than happy to allow it, since it meant more business.

"You should have a big Chocolate Frog Card Game tournament before the Yule Ball tomorrow night!"

"I don't think I'd be able to get something together this close to the-... wait, what?"

"The Yule Ball is tomorrow!"

"Dammit!"

In the midst of his everything, Dave had forgotten entirely about the Yule Ball, and about his plot to reveal his feelings to Hermione. He frantically wondered how he could have, but it felt pointless to do so.

Dave had stopped attending Hermione's study sessions after the "argument", but he HAD sent an owl of apology to her. She hadn't returned it, and both Harry and Ron had stopped talking to him.

"It doesn't matter." Dave told himself again. "I can still do this. It doesn't matter. I'm not going to let this stop me. I may have screwed up, but I can fix it..."

That night, Peckles had insisted on taking he secret passageway back to Hogwarts, while Dave had decided not to risk it. He simply used the cheapest public transportations available.

He knew he should have stopped feeling so strangely a long time ago. The student folk seemed to look upon him with little to no repulsion in comparison to the beginning of the year. His classes were going along well enough, and he tended to focus less on how little he was learning. Now, with the creation of this card game, he was quickly becoming more popular than he ever was as a mischievous klutzy recluse. In fact, the only thing that felt wrong about all this was Hermione... and yet again the Fat Friar's words wedged their way into his brain.

"What's wrong with me?" Dave murmured to himself, as he slumped against the wall of Hogwart's entrance hall. "Why can't I just-…?"

"Dave?"

He looked up, startled, and all the preliminary angst inside him vanished.

Luna Lovegood stood at the end of the entrance hall, still wearing her Ravenclaw robes and strange jewelry, and carrying herself in the same tranquil manner she always did.

"Luna?" Dave whispered, the despair and confusion replaced with a pleasant numbness. "What are you doing here?"

It had been so long since he'd seen Luna... and with this strange, enjoyable feeling inside of him, he wondered why he hadn't worked harder to see her more often.

"What are you doing out here so late?" Dave asked softly as Luna stopped a few feet in front of him, hands folded in her lap.

"Oh, I was just wandering... and I remembered that you usually come home from work around now..."

It felt strange to have her refer to this place as home...

"So... you came down here to meet me?"

"Yes." Luna nodded, turning and leaning back against the same wall he had been before, with a short pouting sigh. Her wide eyes closed about part way, giving her a bit of a tired look rather than the perpetually mystified one.

"Do you... want to play cards?" Luna asked, looking up at him.

Dave was puzzled. He never knew what to expect from her, and this was yet another example of that fact.

"Actually... no, I can't. I need to get ready for tomorrow..." Dave said softly. He didn't want to turn down a game of cards, nor the chance to be with Luna a little longer, and experience this strange feeling at least a little longer...

"Hermione told me about what happened at Honeydukes," she said simply, and Dave froze again. "She doesn't think you're well."

Dave glanced away from her.

"...You mean she thinks I'm crazy." Dave said softly. "So that's it, then." Although some part of him was disappointed, another part of him was afraid. Afraid that Luna might share Hermione's view after hearing what he'd said and done.

"No... she just thinks something is wrong... she doesn't think it's your fault. Nobody does. I don't." Luna murmured.

Dave was once again taken by surprise.

"So... why won't she talk to me anymore?"

"She thought it might be better if I talked to you." She said... and Dave began to wonder if Hermione knew something he didn't... it wouldn't have surprised him. Little know-it-all practically knew... everything...

"What are you thinking about?" Luna asked.

"Nothing." Dave shook his head and looked away from her. "That is... something, but it doesn't make sense."

"Tell me."

Dave looked back into Luna's eyes, and that had a greater effect on him than any amount of truth serum.

"...I can't... I don't know what I'm thinking anymore. At first I thought all I wanted was to be a wizard... and now I am... and to boot, I'm interning at one of the most prestigious magic schools in the world... but I'm still not happy."

"You think you want Hermione."

Dave was about to give an absent nod, but... the words she'd used startled him.

"I... think I want Hermione?" Dave repeated, a strange sensation inside him causing his voice to quiver.

"You're not sure, are you?" Luna persisted, although it didn't seem he was trying to push him in another direction. It seemed she really WAS trying to help him through this.

"I'm not. No... not at all." Dave nodded. "I don't know what I'm sure about anymore."

"Sometimes you feel like Hermione is the only reason you're here." Luna said, and though Dave hadn't noticed, she'd stepped closer and closer to him so mere inches separated the two of them.

"Yes..." Dave nodded, looking up at her, and quickly losing himself in her peaceful eyes.

"You should be so happy." Luna whispered. "You might not have Hermione, but you have your card games, your magic, your academics, and all sorts of things I'm guessing you never had before you got your letter... and though he may be a spiteful little thing, Peckles was the one to bring it to you, so you have a pet that must be looking out for you."

(Soundtrack – Linkin Park: Breaking The Habit)

Dave looked into Luna's eyes, and suddenly looked around, as though startled.

You have a pet that must be looking out for you...

You must not lose sight of what is TRULY important to us.

Look what you've done! There was no reason to drive her away like that!

"...Luna..." Dave whispered, looking around anxiously.

"Dave?" Luna murmured back.

"Go back to the Ravenclaw commons, and stay there." Dave whispered, drawing his wand. "I have... something I need to do."

As Luna watched, Dave tore himself away from her, and ran quickly down the hall, back toward the Hufflepuff dorms.

Upon reaching the portrait outside the Hufflepuff common room, he skidded to a halt as he saw a small dark figure waiting for him...

"Peckles..."

Peckles was sitting right there, glaring at him with his sinister red eyes as if to ask:

"Where have YOU been, biped?"

"Who are you?" Dave asked, glaring down at the cat. "And what the HELL do you want?"

Before Dave could say another word, the cat darted toward him and between his legs, rushing past him down the hall.

"Get back here!" Dave ran after him, but unlike before this was no comical chase after a mischievous pet... "GET BACK HERE, YOU SON OF A BITCH!"

With every winding turn he followed Peckles down, with every daring leap down stairs, and with every panting breath, things came back to him... Peckles. Peckles.

It was Peckles' presence that spawned any "genuine" feelings for Hermione.

It was Peckles' presence that triggered his ability to use magic.

It was Peckles' presence that dulled the feelings that would well within him when Luna was about.

The desire for Hermione was Peckles' and not his own.

"Peckles! Get over here, now!" He roared, but he was quickly running out of breath. Already, he could barely keep up with the rapidly moving cat.

However, he finally he gave a relieved sigh as he saw the cat duck into the crack of a boarded up room.

"No, no, you're not getting away, you little bastard..." Dave snarled as he reached out at the break in the boards, and yanked. A few moments passed, and the hole in the boards was big enough for Dave to push the door open and squeeze through it. "Not until I get some answers!"

It was a bathroom. A girl's bathroom, from the looks of it.

The one major difference between this and any other bathroom was that there was a large fountain in the middle of it, which looked to be some sort of passageway to a room below.

The whole room was covered in dust, as though it had not been used in years.

Due to this fact, Peckles' paw prints were easy enough to track... and Dave's worst fears were confirmed as he saw Peckles' trail end just outside the "secret" passage.

Dave looked from the broken door down into the inky depths.

He looked back to the door, and drew his wand.

"Repairo."

Nothing happened.

"That proves it." He frowned, and looked nervously back at the fountain.

Gathering his courage, he hopped into the hole, sliding down a long tube, and was swallowed up by the darkness.

By now, Dave had completely forgotten about Card Games, the Yule Ball, and just about everything else but hearing the explanation for the past few years of his life.

Some things are just that important.

"Peckles. Come out NOW." He commanded... but was answered by a soft chuckle.

"What authority do you believe you have over me?" an unfamiliar voice asked, and Dave hesitated. "And what ever gave you the idea that Peckles was my name?"

"Nobody ever told me otherwise, and you seem to have been keeping plenty quiet about yourself up until now."

"It was necessary. I wouldn't want to spring my surprise on all of you prematurely."

"Start talking then!" Dave growled as he looked around, trying to figure out where the voice was coming from.

"But I HAVE been, Dave." The voice continued. "Inside your mind. Don't tell me you haven't heard it..."

"So I was right. You've been pulling my strings since you gave me that letter, haven't you?" Dave demanded fiercely.

"I simply gave you what you wanted, Dave. You wanted to be part of the wizarding world, and nobody can accuse me of doing otherwise for you."

"I didn't want it to be like this!" Dave shook his head, gripping his wand tighter. "If you hadn't been here, things between Luna and I, YES, Luna and I, would have been fine... because I LOVE Luna, NOT Hermione, do you hear me?"

The voice's chuckle grew to a laugh.

"Well I'm glad to hear that. I was getting tired of your whining about Hermione anyhow. As a matter of fact, I was getting tired of your whining, period."

As Dave turned once more, trying to find the source of the voice, he was confronted by a tall, shadowy figure with glowing red eyes...

Before Dave could even lift his wand, a clawed hand shot out and grabbed him by the head.

"Regardless of how you wanted your life as a wizard to turn out, it is of no further use to me."

Suddenly, Dave felt a burning pain in his mind, and all he could see was a blazing crimson light.

"Little ingrate… After all I've given you, I ask you to carry out a few simple tasks in return. And yet, you throw my generosity away for a mentally handicapped little wench. You may soon come to regret this decision... in fact, I'm counting on it!" He laughed long and loud, as Dave simply continued to scream.

Chapter 15 - And Now For Something Completely Different (Soundtrack - Cowboy Bebop: Waltz for Zizi)

Meanwhile, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were hard at work in the Gryffindor dormitory, the two boys using their time before the Yule Ball to learn the nuances of Chocolate Frog Card Battle, and in Hermione's case, lost in thought.

Harry had only barely managed to wrangle himself a 'date' for the Yule Ball with Ron's younger sister, Ginny Weasley, whom had decided to take pity on him. Even after helping Dumbledore overthrow He Who Must Not Be Named, his infamous reputation as a bad date he'd gained during his brief time with Cho Chang was difficult to shed.

Hermione and Ron, meanwhile, had made a mutual agreement between themselves. They would go to the Ball individually, and see just whom this strange secret admirer was. If it turned out Hermione didn't care for them much, or didn't have a good time, she would spend her time there with Ron instead.

Of course Ron claimed that he only agreed to this so as not to be left in the dust later on, but the fact that he was so quick to do so pointed to other reasons behind this little pseudo-date.

"Okay, so... since this number is higher than that number, I guess I win this round." Ron said, looking down at the cards sorted out in front of him and Harry, and Harry nodded with disappointment.

"I still don't understand this game." Harry sighed, looking over the pamphlet. "Dave must have taken the most complicated rules he could think of and put them all into one game… speaking of whom, what do you think he's doing for the Yule Ball?"

"I think we all know what he's doing for the Yule Ball." Ron muttered.

"What?" Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Don't tell me you still think-"

"I don't THINK, Hermione."

"That's obvious."

"I walked right into that one, but NO. I KNOW Dave's the one who wrote that letter. You'd have to be blind not to see it."

"We could always write him an owl, and see who he's going with. If he's not going with anyone, that probably means he's planning to reveal the whole 'secret admirer" thing." Harry suggested.

"I still think it's stupid that you're so hung up on that." Hermione sat up, frowning at the two boys. "Besides, even if he was the one, I don't think he'd be willing to go through with it anymore." Hermione fell silent.

"Nevermind." Ron shook his head.

Hermione finally stood up with a bit of a sigh, and left the common room.

"Not that this is any of YOUR business, but no matter who this mystery person is, they're going to be disappointed, because I already have... feelings for someone else." She said, before stalking up the stairs.

Harry and Ron stared after her, then slowly looked to each other.

"Ron?" Harry murmured curiously.

"Your guess is as good as mine." Ron answered, but before they could speak any further, or even continue their game, the Gryffindor door opened, and a group of students slowly entered, gossiping as usual.

"What's going on?" Harry asked, glad for the interruption.

"Dave's gone."

"He's WHAT?" Harry leapt to his feet out of surprise. Ron soon joined him.

"I wasn't there," one of the Gryffindors began, "but from what I hear, Luna Lovegood was just talking to him, when he suddenly started acting all funny, and finally just ran off."

"Is she alright?" Ron asked, getting the feeling that this was going to be another one of those "events".

He looked to Harry, and both of them nodded to each other.

"Maybe we should look for him." Harry suggested. "Just in case something's happened..." In particular, he was worried about Luna. As strange as she was, there were times when he felt he connected with her better than anyone else.

"It's not like Dave's our best friend or something. He could be completely crazy. We don't know."

"I'll bet people said that exact thing about me, back in Voldermort's time. Maybe even you, too, for sticking with me."

"Why should we look for him? He'll probably show up at the Yule Ball anyway..."

"You could be right... he might just want to make a drastic entrance... but maybe we should just look, for Luna's sake."

"Luna's sake? You don't think..."

Harry nodded and Ron groaned, sufficiently guilt-tripped into following Harry on yet another strange endeavor.

"Should we go get Hermione?" He asked.

"No." Harry shook his head. "If this IS in preparation for his big entrance, he won't want the surprise spoiled for her."

"What if someone else tells her about it? It's only a matter of time, and when she DOES find out, she'll start looking for him anyway, and yell at us for looking without her."

"She seems to be in a bit of a mood right now anyway." Harry sighed, looking back toward the stairway leading to the girl's dormitory.

"We'd better start looking now, then." Ron turned to leave, followed by Harry, who noticed that Crookshanks, Hermione's cat, had stayed behind and was now beginning to follow the two of them instead.

Harry didn't say a word about it, figuring this creature could probably help in some way.

The two of them wandered the halls, stopped only twice; once by a group of students, wondering if they'd heard the news yet, and again by one Pansy Parkinson, flanked by Draco Malfoy's henchmen, Crabbe and Goyle.

"Normally I wouldn't ask this, because I don't very much care for you." Pansy said to the two Gryffindors with a turned-up nose, making it easy to see why she and Draco had a thing for each other. "Draco's been missing for a while, and we thought you might know where he is."

"Why would we know?" Ron asked, almost insulted.

"We haven't." Harry shook his head, wondering if these events were somehow related. "Have you seen Dave, from Hufflepuff?"

"No, but I heard about him running away. It's just as well. He shouldn't be showing his face around here anyway."

Harry was already walking past her, Crabbe, and Goyle, trying not to listen to their wisecracking responses.

"I hope she finds Draco." Ron said. "They're all welcome to each other, if you ask me."

"I really wish I'd learned more about Dave. Then we might know where he is."

Ron stopped, and turned, seeing a door he recognized.

"Harry, you remember that?" he asked, pointing at the door.

It was completely boarded up, and covered with dust.

"That was Moaning Myrtle's Bathroom." Harry nodded as he approached the door and looked at it. "They boarded it up after students kept sneaking into the Chamber of Secrets." He murmured.

Harry blinked as he felt something brush up against his leg, and looked down to see Crookshanks staring at the door with a piercing glare.

"Crookshanks?" Harry blinked, kneeling down next to the cat, and following its gaze to the door. "I wish I could speak with cats. It'd be a lot more useful than speaking with snakes."

"Harry, let's go. We can't get in there when it's all boarded up, and someone's bound to notice if we try. We'll get in trouble if we do." Ron sighed. "...He's probably not in there if it's all boarded up and dusty like that."

"Right..." Harry nodded and picked up Crookshanks, who struggled and hissed as it kept its eyes on the door.

Harry and Ron searched all over the school, asking around, but couldn't find a trace of Dave.

They decided to give up for the time being. Either he'd left the school entirely, or was hiding so well that he might as well have had an invisibility cloak.

Besides, tomorrow was the Yule Ball, and they wanted to be well rested.

Chapter 16 - Shock in Ball (Soundtrack – None)

Dave was sent numerous owls, but they ended up unread, as Dave never returned to his dorm room. This confused Dave's roommates, who would have thought he'd have brought his cards with him if he were going to run away.

Draco Malfoy reappeared, however, alive and well, apparently unharmed. According to him, he had taken a few days off from Hogwarts to visit an old friend of the family's. He apparently knew nothing of Dave's disappearance, and had a similar reaction to Pansy's when it came to the Hufflepuff's vanishing.

Hermione, of course, caught wind of it, but said nothing.

Both Ron and Harry, however, sighed and wished that he could get the feeling that something was really wrong out of his head.

Many of the students failed to notice Luna. She was quieter than she usually was, and seemed to prefer to be alone. This wasn't exactly news to anyone who didn't know her well, but to those who did, it looked like Luna was absolutely distraught, especially when someone mentioned Dave in her presence.

The majority of the school wasn't so concerned with the emotional states and physical whereabouts of their fellow students as much as they were excited about the dance.

Everything looked absolutely perfect as usual. The decorations were beautiful and the lighting set the mood just perfectly. The musical entertainment hadn't arrived just yet, but that didn't stop the students from having a good time. Already they were congregating and complimenting or insulting each other's formal wear (the insults came mostly from the Slytherins, behind the backs of everyone else).

"Well..." Harry murmured, glancing from one end of the hall to the other, "I guess he's not here, is he?"

Ginny sighed.

"Harry, if it's this hard for you to keep focused on the fact that you have a date, it's no wonder Cho-..."

"Right, right, I'm sorry..." Brought back into the moment, Harry turned to Ginny, giving her hand a light squeeze.

"It's alright. I was kidding. If you must know, I have a thing or two to say to that Dave boy anyhow. Luna is my friend, after all."

Harry nodded slowly.

"Don't be too hard on him just yet... I'm not saying what he did was right, but people do things sometimes without knowing why... I'm sure you understand what that's like." Harry murmured to Ginny, who blushed, remembering her first year at Hogwarts. "I want to give him the benefit of the doubt."

"Writing messages on the wall is one thing." Ginny countered. "But randomly running out on my friends, then disappearing into nothing is completely different."

Harry stared at Ginny, when just then, Ron and Hermione approached, Ron looking marginally dashing in his dress robes, and Hermione appearing quite radiant in the gown she'd worn the year before.

"You look so pretty!" Ginny commented, and as Hermione began to return the compliments on how cute Ginny looked, Harry and Ron quickly made their way toward each other to avoid having to listen to the two girls.

"Well, now what?" Ron murmured. "Nobody's come for Hermione yet."

"Maybe that's because you're all but hanging on her. That would scare me away."

"What are you playing at?" Ron asked, brow furrowing.

"Nothing... nothing I wasn't playing at for years now..." Harry added under his breath.

He looked from the group of Slytherins featuring Draco Malfoy in a gaudy bastard son of robes and a tuxedo, to the Hufflepuffs where many of the girls, and some girls from other houses, where huddled around Audron the half-veela.

He noticed Luna Lovegood, sitting alone near where the Ravenclaws were massing, and he saw the professors and other Hogwarts employees talking amongst themselves.

"Even if it was Dave, I don't think-..." No sooner had Ron spoken, than the door to the Great Hall flew open.

Music began to play, the musicians that had been hired to play the dance filing in in two lines, like a marching band.

(Soundtrack – Final Fantasy Unlimited: Demon Sword)

Of course this wasn't traditional. The students thought maybe they were trying something new this year until they noticed the exact tone of the music.

It was something between an imperial march and a funeral hymn, that gave off an altogether intimidating feel.

It was enough to get the majority of both students and faculty to give their attention to the open door, and the two rows of musicians flanking it.

"What's all this about?" Harry murmured to Ron. "Draco's already here, and so is Dumbledore... not that Dumbledore was usually up to introductions this elaborate."

"I don't know, but I wish I could have thought of this... this is wicked." Ron said in awe.

The torches around them flickered, brightened, and focused their light into beams, which shone directly into the doorway, illuminating a tall, darkly dressed young man with raven hair reaching down to his shoulders. His skin was a healthy bronze, and his features were handsome, with an almost feral quality to them.

The music continued to play as the young man walked in unescorted, black robes rustling loosely about him.

Even the girls who had been gawking shamelessly at Audron stopped to stare at the newcomer, who paid little heed to the students.

His black robes were marked with intricate, unfamiliar designs. He obviously was not a Hogwarts student.

There was a gasp from somewhere in the Slytherins, but nobody was paying attention to that particular area.

The young man made a beeline from the entrance to the other side of the room, where the faculty was staring with just as much awe and curiosity as the students.

Harry and Ron stared at the man, then looked to Hermione.

"No way..." Ron said, looking back and forth between Hermione and the dark lad.

"...Who is he?" Ginny asked.

"No idea." Harry murmured, rubbing his forehead. Maybe all this poking around in other's business was starting to take its toll on him. He sighed and glanced arbitrarily at the clock.

"Wait... it's six o clock... just like the letter said!"

The music finally died down as the young man approached the faculty, particularly Dumbledore.

He raised his head, brushing hair from his eyes, which he had not opened since he'd walked into the door.

Dumbledore stared down at this strange young man, and the young man looked back up at him, eyes still closed as if he were able to see regardless.

"...Pelares... my dear boy, is that you?" Dumbledore adjusted his half-moon spectacles, breaking the period of silence that had drawn out longer than anyone present had noticed.

The young man in black grinned, revealing a sparkling white-toothed smile.

"Pelares Killian, at your service, Headmaster Dumbledore." The young man announced, loud enough so that everyone could hear. His voice was deep and sultry: refined, but not smug. It sent noticeable shivers through many girls (and women) present at the moment... except one.

"Faculty and Students, I would like to introduce Pelares Killian, an old friend of mine."

"Old?" Ron muttered. "He looks about our age."

"I sure hope he is..." Ginny said with noticeable excitement.

"Ginny!" Ron hissed.

"He has been attending various Magic Schools across the world, serving as a student teacher with his wide range of magical knowledge. We have the honor of his surprise visit this evening, and I know all of you will do your best to make him feel welcome."

"Dumbledore knows him?" Harry blinked, shaking his head, and looking to Ginny. "How could he surprise Dumbledore with a visit? I've never seen Dumbledore surprised."

Ron shushed Harry as Pelares turned, walking through the cloud of confused students.

Taking their queue, the musicians moved to the raised portion of the Great Hall, and began to play.

One by one, the students began to take their eyes off of Pelares and go back about their business.

Hermione couldn't follow suit. After all, he was headed right for her.

She was completely paralyzed. If she'd been in her right mind, she might have dragged Ron toward her. However, as she looked over the young man's flawless face, which looked so serene and peaceful with his eyes perpetually closed, she found herself completely incapable of rational thought or action.

"Miss Hermione Granger." Pelares bowed deeply as he reached Hermione, ignoring Harry, Ron, and Ginny. "I've been waiting for this moment for a very long time."

"...It was... you?" Hermione murmured.

"Wait... that can't be..." Harry said at the same time.

"How can-...?" Ron swallowed.

Ginny said nothing, but giggled when the trio before her spoke simultaneously;

"But you only just met her," Or "me", in Hermione's case.

"I happened to pass the Great Hall during the sorting ceremony, and saw you sitting at the Gryffindor table." Pelares said quietly, still ignoring the others.

"How could you see her? Your eyes are closed!" Ron interjected, but his words died when Hermione gave him a vicious glare.

"My physical sight is more or less gone... but what I received in return is something much more useful." Pelares whispered, reaching up and tapping his forehead. "I wouldn't recommend it though, especially if your eyes are as beautiful as dear Miss Granger's here..." He smiled. "It would be a crime to deprive the world of such exquisiteness."

Hermione's face was cherry red at Pelares' words.

Ron cleared his throat.

"Mr. Killian... Pelares?" Ron spoke, doing his best to sound intimidating to this arrogant boy, "Hermione and I-..."

"Of course, of course..." Pelares said, cutting Ron off with the same velvet tones, "but surely since this is the case, you would not mind sharing the company of this breathtaking young lady with someone else... at least for an hour or two." Pelares said quietly.

"But!" Ron hissed, but Hermione rounded on him a second time.

"You heard him, Ron. You have nothing to worry about. You'll be a perfect gentleman, won't you Mr. Killian?"

"Pelares, and yes, of course." the ebony-haired youth asked.

"I owe it to him for the gift he sent me earlier this year..." Hermione said quietly, offering Pelares a hand, which he took, kissed, and clasped, escorting her into the mass of dancing students.

Ron growled, rolling up his sleeves.

"Ron, don't." Harry shook his head. "Remember? You weren't actually going to treat this like a real date... this was just until we knew who the secret admirer was."

"...It's Dave in a mask. It has to be."

"How?" Harry asked incredulously. "Dumbledore knows him, and why would Dave spend all this time preparing to express HIS feelings for Hermione if he were going to masquerade as someone else?"

"Nobody knows where Dave is, do they?" Ron insisted. "It could be him..."

"I think you're just paranoid..." Harry sighed, taking Ginny by the hand and bringing her down to the dance floor, leaving Ron alone. Ron sighed and cased a sidelong glance... seeing Luna still sitting alone.

Luna was staring quietly at the floor now, as if keeping a steady watch on it.

Ron sat down next to her, now dateless and given little to do but sulk.

"Hey." He gave Luna a weak wave.

Luna just nodded.

"...What do you think of that Pelares guy?" Ron asked.

"I don't like him." Luna answered quickly, eyes never leaving their fixed downward position.

Ron was startled by this strange behavior on her part. Usually one would find her in a state of seemingly blissful ignorance.

"Neither do I." Ron grumbled quietly, watching as Pelares and Hermione vanished from sight in the crowd of swirling, dancing robes. "He's a flirtatious, smarmy, blind show off..."

"You're saying that because you want to be with Hermione."

Ron looked at Luna blushingly.

"Who ever said that?"

Luna turned to look up at him.

"You did, in the way you look at her. It's all right. I know how it feels."

"Your case is different, Luna. I mean Dave is!" Ron cut himself off just in time, before saying something he'd regret. It was just as well. Luna spoke at that point, and she would have cut him anyway.

"-Dave should be there with Hermione."

Ron looked at her with an expression of anger and confusion grappling for dominance.

"I wanted to come here with Dave for the same reason you came here with Hermione." She explained. "When he finally revealed himself to her, I know the two of them wouldn't be right for each other... I just wanted to be here for him, and comfort him, just like you wanted to be there for Hermione."

Ron was beet-red by this point, but didn't respond. He was now the one staring at the floor. Suddenly, though, he sat up straight.

"Wait... so I was RIGHT?" Ron asked in disbelief. "Dave WAS the secret admirer?"

"Yes... and no."

"Then... who is that guy, and what's he doing with Hermione?" Ron asked, looking to where he'd last seen Hermione and Pelares.

"The SECRET secret admirer."

Luna stood up and looked down at Ron, who was trying to work out what she'd said.

"I'm going to look for Dave."

"Harry and I already tried that. It's doubtful he's even still here at the school anymore." Ron protested.

"He is." Luna nodded. "I know he's still here."

Ron sighed, knowing he couldn't let Luna wander around on her own, and Harry and Hermione were lost among the other students. It looked like he was going to have to act as her bodyguard.

The two of them left the dance together, Luna walking at a brisk pace while Ron struggled to keep up.

"Why do you care about him so much?" Ron asked Luna quietly, fearing they might get caught wandering around alone and lectured, though there was really no rule about spending the dance AT the dance. "I mean he's completely-..."

"No." Luna shook her head firmly. "It wasn't him. It wasn't his fault."

"Are you sure?" Ron persisted, jogging up alongside her.

"You're saying just because he's a little strange, he's a bad person." She answered.

Ron couldn't answer. He had never seen Luna this focused and determined. In fact he doubted anyone ever had before.

Suddenly, he had a thought.

"Luna, do you know where Moaning Myrtle's old bathroom is?"

Chapter 17 - The Fate Of You Know Who, and the Plot of Who You Don't. (Soundtrack – Cowboy Bebop: Meteor)

"Not to say that I like Dave much either…" Ron began as he searched the hallways, trying to remember how to get to the bathroom. Ron and Luna arrived at Myrtle's bathroom, and it was as expected, boarded up. "But usually when I jump to conclusions like this, I'm always wrong, and someone throws it in my face later on." He sighed and glanced behind them down the halls, which were particularly creepy at night, when one was alone.

"Here." Luna stopped at the boarded up door, and immediately reached out for the boards, without listening to Ron's theory that, though it looked like the door had not been touched, something must have been fishy about it.

However, her hand passed straight through the wood and she let out a squeak of surprise and pain. As she pulled her hand back, she saw a long, splintery scratch running across the edge of her right hand.

"What the..." Ron murmured, reaching out to touch the board, but his hand passed through as well. "An illusion..."

He felt around in the nothingness where the door ought to have been, and felt splintered wood.

He knelt down and slowly attempted to lean his head through the door, and as expected he passed beyond the illusion, and into the bathroom.

From that side, he could see pieces of broken wood scattered about, and footsteps (both cat and human) in the dust that covered almost the entire room. The footsteps led directly to the passage to the Chamber of Secrets.

"Someone's in here, alright… and they don't want anyone to know about it."

He leaned back through the door, and looked to Luna.

"It's probably Dave and his cat." Ron murmured. "What are you going to do when you find him?"

Luna shook her head silently, and squeezed through the hole in the boards.

The two of them entered the bathroom with some effort, thankfully uninterrupted by any of Myrtle's outbursts.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Ron asked. "We could get in real trouble. The teachers boarded this place up for a reason..."

Luna didn't bother giving what would have been an obvious answer, drawing her wand.

"What? What is it?" Ron asked, doing the same, but letting out a frustrated sigh as she dove down the tunnel to the Chamber of Secrets. "Ohh, not down there again…" He moaned, remembering how creepy it had been down there. The last time he'd ventured down there was to save his sister. Doing it now to save a guy he barely knew, who (in his opinion) was competition for Hermione's attentions, seemed like something he really didn't want to get involved in, but whenever he looked at Luna, seeing her resolve, felt as though he didn't have a choice.

Ron followed Luna down the tunnel to the chamber, but only after conjuring a bit of rope and tying it off so they'd have a method of getting back out.

They emerged in the chamber, wandering through the caves, Luna calling out Dave's name while Ron tried not to think of what kind of spiders had amassed there since his last visit years ago.

"Why would they only board this place off, instead of, like, sealing it off with magic or something?"

Luna didn't answer, but Ron soon realized the obvious solution himself.

After the cases involving the Chamber of Secrets, the Sorcerer's Stone, and the Ministry of Magic, he realized the harder someone tried to lock something down, the more interested students were with breaking in. Indeed, he hadn't even thought of the Chamber until now.

Since Harry, the school's only Parselmouth, hadn't chosen to close the doors after his first visit here, Ron and Luna finally made their way to the Chamber's main hallway with no trouble at all.

Ron hadn't really seen the Chamber of Secrets in its full splendor, but now that he had, he knew he'd be having nightmares about it for a very long time after... if he survived this journey at all.

Luna and Ron stuck close together, keeping a watchful eye on the titanic serpent statues that lined the hall.

When the chamber widened into its arena like half, Ron's eyes quickly scanned the room for anything out of the ordinary... not that the whole place didn't look abnormal to him since he'd never been there before.

Luna looked up, and her eyes narrowed at the massive bust of Salizar Slytherin.

"It doesn't look like Dave is down here…" Ron said, not wishing to delve further into any of the dark, foreboding corridors that connected to the chamber, while Luna was already beginning to climb up the side of the creepy stone head. "Is there anything up there?"

Luna shook her head, but gestured for Ron to come up with her.

Ron followed slowly, getting more and more unnerved by the combined circumstances. They were alone, searching for a renegade student who didn't seem to be in his right mind, in a forbidden area, when every other student and member of the faculty, even his best friends, were all the way back at the Great Hall, probably forgetting about him.

"What is this?" Ron asked as he reached the top of the statue head, and noticed that the scalp of it was etched with newly carved runes, as well as a large pentagram.

"I can't read a word of this, but it doesn't look good."

"No, you wouldn't be able to."

Ron jumped as he heard a familiar, sultry voice he'd heard, not an hour ago.

Luna growled ferociously, looking down toward the Chamber's entrance where she saw the dark-robed form of Pelares Killian... and the limp, inert form of Hermione Granger lying in his arms.

"No music this time, huh?" Ron called, snarling as his grip on his wand turned his knuckles white. "I knew there was something weird about you."

"No doubt you have a great deal of questions as to what, exactly, is going on here." Pelares smirked as he stepped smoothly into the chamber. "However, I'd much prefer to wait until the rest of my audience has arrived."

"Where is Dave?" Luna asked. "You can tell us that, at least."

"Unfortunately, no I can't." Pelares chuckled. "He is somewhere upstairs, half dead. Possibly more."

"What did you do to him!" Luna demanded pointing her wand at the young man whose eyes were still closed.

"You're so persistent. But as I said, now is not the time."

The young man opened his eyes, and Luna did not look half as surprised or frightened as Ron did as Pelares revealed two glowing red irises.

Suddenly, he was no longer standing before them, but rather behind them, as he knelt to deposit Hermione's body in the center of the pentagram he had etched onto the floor.

Luna and Ron spun around, pointing their wands down at him, but before they could begin to utter any incantations, Pelares' body melted and reconstituted itself in an instant, taking the form of a slender, red eyed black cat…

"Peckles…" Ron murmured as the cat darted between them and leapt off the statue's scalp, landing on the far edge of the shallow pool that dominated most of the chamber. His cat form vanished, once again replaced by Pelares.

"I thought it might have been obvious by now. Hermione figured everything out, but didn't want to cause an uproar in the Yule Ball." He chuckled, arms folded. "Isn't it cute? She didn't want to ruin the evening for the rest of the assembled rabble. As a result, she asked we go someplace private. She tried to fight, of course."

By now, Ron was on his knees, inspecting Hermione's still form. She was alive and breathing, but she was bleeding in several places, and her robe was torn slightly.

"You said Hermione figured everything out." Ron asked. "What do you mean? That you came here as a cat just to get to HER?"

"So impatient…" Pelares sighed and shook his head. "Unless I miss my guess, the time for explanations is about to arrive."

Suddenly, there was a loud thud, and in the distance, at the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter emerged, or more accurately, was unceremoniously dropped. Over him, stepped Draco Malfoy, who seemed to be enjoying himself immensely.

"Malfoy!" Ron shouted. "I figured you were behind this!"

"Don't try to act intelligent." Draco called back as he continued dragging Harry's body through the dark room. "It doesn't suit you. Besides, this was all his idea." The blonde boy chuckled, depositing his cargo at Pelares' feet before moving to stand next to him.

"What's going on here?" Ron growled. With Harry unconscious, it didn't look like, short of Dumbledore, there would be any Deus Ex Machina coming to their rescue.

"Hm." Pelares glanced from Luna, Ron, and Hermione, back down to Draco and Harry. It seemed as though he was finally ready to speak.

"My name is indeed, Pelares Killian; I am a demon whose race was long ago sealed away by the founders of Hogwarts."

Ron frowned. Just when he thought there was nothing more to know about this school... He would have given anything to have Harry or Hermione conscious. As it was, his only companion was silent, and staring hatefully at Pelares and Malfoy.

"So you're here for revenge, then?" Ron asked. "I hate to tell you, but the founders of this school are all long gone."

Pelares shook his head, chuckling.

"Humans are so shortsighted. I am beyond such petty concepts as revenge for some personal satisfaction. MY goal is to see this world overrun with demons, and to rule over a world of chaos, where every last human has been wiped out."

"...And you think knocking out Hermione and disrupting a school dance are going to help you with that?" Ron asked with a raised eyebrow.

Pelares smirked, glancing behind him, as if expecting someone, and then turned back to Ron and Luna as he bade Draco to drag Harry's body up to join Luna, Ron and Hermione.

"When my race was sealed away, I was the only one to escape. At the time, I was weak and none of the wizards or demons noticed my flight. For a time, I traveled the world, lying low and gradually honing my powers. Of course back then I was concerned with vengeance for my sealed brothers and sisters, but I knew I was outmatched."

At this point, Ron didn't dare to raise his wand until he knew more about what he was dealing with. All he could do was wonder if this guy was for real...

"Eventually I came across a boy by the name of Tom Riddle. Of course by then he was calling himself Lord Voldermort and collecting a cadre of power hungry humans and brainless monsters. I introduced myself, and as you might imagine he was more than happy to welcome an ancient demon into his employ. Of course I had no intention of letting myself pose as his little minion for long. He had sold his own humanity, and therefore he was of no use to me."

"What do you mean by that?" Ron asked softly, both curious and trying to stall for time. Perhaps someone would notice SIX people missing more than they'd notice two, especially since Pelares had made a very noticeable entrance.

"Humanity is a curious race. Time and time again, despite our unrivaled power, Humans have ever defeated Demons. Demons never consider this, always assuming their predecessors were careless, and that humans are mere insects. However, humans possess a strange potential that can only be realized in their most desperate moments. Voldermort found this out the hard way, first when Harry Potter was a child, and again just recently." He glanced at Harry's prone body, and chuckled. "Now the feared darklord suffers a fate far worse than he himself could have ever thought possible.

"What's your point?" Ron demanded.

"Voldermort failed because he chose to ignore the power of humanity. My goal however, is to HARNESS that power for myself... with the help of dear Miss Granger."

"Petrificus Totalus!" Ron shouted, unable to compose himself any longer. He waved his wand, and a bolt of energy hurtled down at the chuckling demon… and passed straight through him.

Ron's eyes widened in confusion as Pelares reappeared behind them once more.

"Slytherin, Ravenclaw, and Gryffindor." Pelares smirked as the young wizards and witches turned to face him. "That simply leaves one other before the ritual can begin."

"What are you talking about?" Ron persisted, unsure what he was going to do, as Pelares had dodged his last attempt so easily.

"The four founders of Hogwart's houses were responsible for the sealing of my brethren. In order to break that seal, I need the blood of one student from each house."

Although Ron was rather confused, and Luna still wanted to know what had become of Dave, they both looked back at where Draco had abruptly stopped kicking Harry's unconscious body.

"…Wait, what?" Draco asked, staring wide-eyed at Pelares.

"I suppose I should have told you earlier, but you did only ask if you would get to see Harry Potter exterminated. You mentioned nothing about your own life."

"…It shows what I get for listening to a repulsive demon." Draco snarled, drawing his wand and looking with hatred and embarrassment at the other assembled wizards and witches before raising his wand at Pelares, but hesitated, beginning to tremble in fear as Pelares' crimson eyes opened once more.

Taking the opportunity while Pelares was distracted, Ron thrust out his wand and sent a bolt of energy flying at the demon, Luna following immediately afterward. Pelares was startled out of his illusion weaving by the flashes of light, and just as before, the spells flew straight through Pelares' body. As his body disappeared, Draco stumbled and nearly fell off the statue, before both Luna and Ron grabbed him and pulled him back.

Regardless of what had been done to them, the loud noises and lights must have awoken both Harry and Hermione from their unconscious state.

"What's… going on…" Harry murmured, and Ron knelt to try and bring the both of them around.

"Once Voldermort was defeated the first time," Pelares continued, now invisible, the source of his voice impossible to figure out due to the echoing effects of the room. "I could no longer stay in this country or risk being hunted down by the Ministry. I decided to journey overseas, and continue increasing my power there. Very soon, I knew the time was right to return to Hogwarts, and release my kinsmen from their imprisonment."

Draco was already tired of listening to this, but as long as the demon wanted to talk, he decided to let him. The longer he did, the more likely it was more help would arrive, or these unendingly lucky low class fools would find a way out of this.

"It was more difficult than you can imagine to surmise what would be necessary to bring all of us to where we now stand. Fortunately, I was able to get everything I needed from one person; a person with a very particular type of personality… and a Muggle, no less."

"A Muggle?" Harry blinked. "What do you mean? Who?"

Chapter 18 – Dreams End, Nightmares Begin (Soundtrack – Linkin Park: Numb)

Dave suddenly awoke in a strange place… a strange dark place. A stone hall, covered in blank portraits. There were large windows overlooking a vast lake, and snow was falling in a great cloud from the sky.

His head was pounding, throbbing, feeling as if it had been squeezed dry; wrung out like a towel.

He felt a trickling from his nose, and sniffed, tasting blood.

"What… happened?"

All he could remember was walking through the streets of a city he couldn't remember the name of, the reason for which he was unsure.

"Where am I?" He asked the nothingness as he staggered to his feet. He could barely keep upright, and was forced to lean on a wall.

"Goodness, are you alright?" He heard a voice from one of the portraits, and whirled around, quickly losing his balance and falling back to the ground.

The portrait was now inhabited by a person… a living person, it seemed.

"Are you alright?" The person in the painting repeated, and Dave was too afraid to respond. He staggered up a second time, putting every bit of strength he could muster into simply running…

He found himself in winding halls, filled with more paintings and figures in dark robes that stopped to point at him as he ran by.

"What's happening to me? WHAT'S GOING ON?" He cried, but suddenly gasped as he tripped over something, and tumbled to the ground. He rolled onto his back, panting wildly, his struggling mind desperately trying to understand where he was… and whom the two large people standing over him were…

"Look what we've got here, Crabbe." One of them muttered. "It's Dave, the Hufflepuff psychopath."

Dave… is that… my name?

"Dun' look too dangerous now, does he?" The other one reached down and grabbed Dave by the collar, dragging him to his feet. "Looks paler than usual. Looks like he bit off a bit more than he can chew. Just what he deserves, if you ask me."

"Draco said he'd probably be wandering around about now…"

"You remember what he told us to do if we found em?"

"Sure do… and it's my pleasure." The one called Crabbe moved around behind Dave, grabbing him by his arms and holding him painfully tight as the other, Goyle, moved in front of him… and lashed out to strike Dave across the jaw with a fierce punch.

Stars exploded in Dave's mind, and he wished that this horrible nightmare would end… but it continued… for a very long time…

"Dave is no muggle!" Ron said with great skepticism. "Dave is a wizard. We've all seen him use magic."

"My particular genus of demon has a very special ability... the capability to create a powerful symbiotic mind link. Once linked to a host, I can bestow magical knowledge and ability upon them, as well as thoughts and emotions."

"So that means YOU were the one who was trying to get to Hermione. You were just dragging Dave along with you!" Harry, now fully conscious, growled.

"Dave was never a wizard. He is, and always was a dismal self pitying little maggot, but he served my plans better than I could possibly have hoped."

The three Gryffindors, Luna, and Draco all stared at Pelares, each listening with disgust, horror, or indifference respectively.

"Dave did his best to prove his worth at USMA, and unknowingly, every bit of knowledge he acquired was given to me as well, thanks to the link between us. Despite Dave's achievements, he was still dissatisfied."

"Because YOU hadn't fulfilled your goal." Hermione hissed, and Pelares nodded. "The mind link you two shared gave you all his knowledge, and all you gave him in return was misery."

"Despite all he learned at USMA, his greatest contribution to my plan came in the form of his pathetic card games. No doubt he's talked your ear off about them." He smirked. "Particularly his lecture about Hybrids? I realized that it was entirely possible in reality, and not a bad idea in the least."

At that moment, everyone turned back in disbelief to Hermione, who had gone very pale.

"NO." Ron suddenly said.

"Yes, Mr. Weasley. This talented young Gryffindor is the perfect candidate to give birth to my half-demon, half-human reincarnation, and as such, I shall lead my demon brethren to dominate this world."

"I'll kill you, first!" Ron shouted, stepping in front of the other assembled Hogwarts Students.

"I assure you, you're well below the capacity to do anything about this now." Pelares shook his head, continuing with his explanation. "As it is, the only reason I've been gracious enough to explain my plan is that the time is not yet right to carry out the ritual… but the hour is almost come."

"I thought you were trying to bore us to death." Draco growled.

"What did you do with Dave?" Luna asked firmly.

"Don't we have a one-track mind..." Pelares suddenly stopped chuckling and smirking, and simply stared hatefully at Luna. "That poor child was getting a little too close to the truth already, and I didn't need him announcing it to the whole school. I was fully aware of YOUR ability to see through my illusions, but I thought my influence would be enough to keep him from believing you. I suppose my absences were enough to give you time to drop your subtle hints, but those absences were necessary to find an apt place to perform the ritual."

"I knew it…" Hermione whispered softly, mystified. "They were in love with each other, but she wanted to let him realize it on his own."

The room suddenly echoed with Pelares' laughter.

"After Dave realized his love for Hermione wasn't genuine, he had outlived his usefulness to me. Therefore I took back everything I gave to him, by breaking the link between us. I'll be amazed if he survived the process… it's very similar to what Muggles refer to as a stroke."

"Luna..." All in attendance turned to look at Luna, whose cheeks were red, eyes closed, who was turning away from all of them with a pained expression.

"Why?" Ron shouted. "Why did you do this to him?"

"It was necessary for my plan to succeed. Besides, I gave him what he wanted." Pelares said, as if insulted. "He wanted to be a part of the wizarding world, and I gave him that. Of course not without a price."

Luna finally turned back toward Pelares, her face seething with rage.

"I HATE YOU!" She shrieked, and the other students present cringed at the piercing sound.

"All but one of the Hogwarts Founders were willing to fight to the death to see my brethren sealed away…" Pelares finally reappeared in the entryway to the Chamber's larger half, and already the students were rushing off of the stone bust to face him… except for Hermione.

"Hermione?" Ron turned back to her.

"I can't leave the Pentagram." Hermione realized quickly. "You'll have to do this yourself."

"In order to break the seal, all but one of you must be willing to give YOUR lives to stop me."

Ron scowled, tired of being overlooked in all of this. While he didn't want to be killed, he felt like he was somehow less important than his friends.

"You think, if Dave survived, he'll be your suicidal Hufflepuff, hm?" Draco asked. "I doubt it. You'd be surprised how persistent these people can be." Almost as soon as he finished speaking, he went pale, remembering something…

"Remember what you told your little lackeys, Crabbe and Goyle?" Pelares smirked as he looked at the wizards who now stood to face him. "Beat him senseless? Make him wish he were dead?"

The other students now stared at Draco again.

"I just… wanted to teach him a lesson for… I DIDN'T KNOW!" Draco shouted before turning back to Pelares.

"You're no better than I, Malfoy. No better than that Muggle, Dave. You allowed yourself to be used. Carry that knowledge with you to the next world."

With a wave of Pelares' hand, the shallow water in the Chamber's pool evaporated into scalding hot steam, leaving an entirely dry floor.

Wands ready, Harry, Ron, Luna, Draco, and even Hermione who was trapped inside the pentagram barrier, fixed their eyes on the demon, who simply grinned and beckoned them forth.

Chapter 19 - The Final Battle (Soundtrack - Dot Hack Sign: The World)

Draco stepped forward first, much to the dismay of Harry and the others, who knew they stood a better chance if they stuck together.

"You'll regret making me your little puppet, you miserable scum."

"Scum?" Pelares didn't move from where he stood, his robes rustling in a strange, unearthly breeze. "Coming from you, that means a great deal." He faced Draco again, and opened his eyes once more.

Draco shook his head and charged, then suddenly froze…

"Pansy?" He whispered in a small, whimpering voice, and staggered backward.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione watched in horrid fascination as Draco dropped his wand, and began to swagger this way and that, eyes suddenly glassy and vacant.

"…No.… No, don't… Please, DON'T…"

Finally, Draco fell to his knees, and Pelares simply approached him, and grabbed him by his slick blonde hair.

"…Pelares…" Draco, now apparently released from the illusion, hissed, but realized he was now unarmed.

"Good bye." Pelares lifted the struggling Slytherin by his hair, and threw him effortlessly.

Draco flew past Ron, Harry and Luna, crashing into the stone head of Salizar Slytherin, leaving a spider web of cracks on its forehead before collapsing to the ground like a rag doll.

"Draco!" Harry heard himself shout, but shook his head, and turned to Pelares.

"You're going to pay for this, Pelares…"

"Is that so? And I suppose you two will make me? You're a skillful wizard, I'll grant you that. I wouldn't have brought you here if you were any less. However, you're still no match for me."

Harry glanced at Ron, then up at Hermione before the three of them nodded together.

"Lumos!" Ron shouted, and a bright light illuminated the area, and Pelares turned away from the light, closing his eyes.

"Accio, Broom!" Harry shouted, waving his wand.

Pelares staggered a bit, and shook his head, looking back to furrow his brow at the three wizards. The light was still so bright, he couldn't open his eyes again.

"Crafty little!" Pelares never finished, knocked forward by an object that flew out from the corridor behind him. Harry's broom soared in, and crashed into the back of Pelares' skull, before moving to Harry's hand.

Realizing he was vulnerable, he shucked his human form, transforming back into Peckles to dart for the nearest of the honeycomb tunnels.

Hermione, praying that SHE was the only thing confined to the magical barrier, waved her wand and muttered an incantation she had learned days after getting Crookshanks.

A bolt of energy sailed from her wand through the barrier, and struck the scurrying demon cat, who was suddenly surrounded by a cloud of strange-colored dust.

Pelares reappeared, coughing and shaking his head.

"What is this? Catnip?" He hissed in outrage. "You little brats take me too lightly!" He was cut off a second time, as Ron shouted.

"Petrificus Totalus!" Another bolt of energy hit Pelares, and he stiffened, hands balling into fists.

Where most humans would have gone completely immobile, Pelares was still able to move with a great deal of effort.

"Harry! Now!" Hermione shouted, and Harry was already concentrating.

Dropping his broom, he raised his hand.

"No, wait…" Luna spoke softly, voice quivering with uncertainty.

"Accio, Sword!" He spoke clearly, and in seconds, the sword of Godric Gryffindor came to his hand.

Pelares growled, unable to move quickly enough as he saw the young Gryffindor bearing down upon him.

With a roar of rage, Harry thrust the blade through Pelares' chest… but no blood issued forth from the wound.

"Harry, watch out!" Luna shouted suddenly, as the thing he had shoved his sword through disappeared; another of Pelares' illusions.

Harry spun around, too late, as Pelares emerged from the nothingness behind him, one hand raised. Pelares' hand twisted and transformed, becoming a horrible, clawed appendage more fitting of a demon.

Harry's cry of panic was silenced abruptly as Pelares' claws drove through his torso, lifted him from the ground, and lobbed him over the heads of Hermione and Luna, to land at Draco Malfoy's side.

Ron's knees were shaking as he looked from where the two of them lay up to Pelares.

"You're… just toying with us…" He murmured tremblingly.

"I wouldn't want to make it seem like you had absolutely NO chance against me…" Pelares simply smirked, as he kicked the sword across the ground to where Ron stood, completely petrified. "Of course I did TRY to warn you."

Ron snarled, reaching down to grab the sword, finding courage again in remembering what would become of Hermione if Pelares were victorious.

"I am impressed… using your light spell to rob me of my illusory magic, and trying to take advantage of my cat form… very clever, indeed. I expected no less from you. And if you really want to know, that sword IS your best chance of defeating me. Only the oldest magic is enough to do the job."

Ron's hand wrapped around the sword's hilt… but his heart sank when the sword disappeared.

Only Harry can use it… Ron thought weakly as he stood back up, his wand still gripped in his trembling hand. He looked back at Luna who hadn't moved, but continued to stare hatefully at the demon. What am I supposed to do now?

"If you were smart, I would suggest you try and run away… but as it stands, I'm not about to let you put the rest of the school in an uproar after I worked so hard to rewrite their memories when my ruse was complete."

"I'm not running away. Don't worry about that." Ron growled. "Granted, I don't know what I'm going to do, but…"

Ron took a step forward to face Pelares alone, when a flash of blonde hair moved in front of him, to block his path.

"I knew I couldn't stop Harry and Draco, but I can't let you do this." Luna Lovegood murmured. "For Hermione's sake."

"Luna…" Ron whispered quietly as Luna turned away from him to face Pelares.

"Dave didn't deserve what you did to him." Luna spoke softly, taking small steps toward the demon. "He has his faults, but he was a good person."

"And if it weren't for me, he'd still be suffering in his magic-impaired life, and might I add that you never would have met him, this fake wizard you love so much."

Ron ran to where Harry and Draco lay, trying to see if they were still alive, as Hermione continued to watch.

Never, not even in the Department of Mysteries, did Luna ever show such a hateful, aggressive side.

"You gave him nothing. You used him, and stole years of his life just for your own terrible goals."

"And just what do you plan to do about it?" Pelares asked, tilting his head. "You were able to see through my disguise, but you were too foolish to tell anyone about it. It amuses me that your hopeless feelings of romance kept you from speaking, and possibly saving everyone here… especially Dave himself."

Luna hesitated, less than five feet of space between them.

Hermione stared as Pelares' eyes opened, and she could only imagine what terrible scenes were playing out in Luna's mind… but the blonde did not flinch. She showed no sign of fear.

"I know my mother is dead." Luna said simply. "It was not my fault. It was not my father's fault, and you're a pathetic creature for thinking you could convince me otherwise."

She raised her wand.

"Diffindo!"

Hermione could only begin to wonder what Luna would use a severing charm for… but her eyes widened in shock as Luna swept her wand in an arc before her, a trail of energy swathing before the demon's face.

With a shriek of agony, Pelares fell back and clutched a long slash wound at the level of his eyes. He lunged forward in rage, grabbing Luna by the throat and lifting her up.

"Crippling my illusions will do you very little GOOD, you wretch. This body is of no use to me once I've had my way with miss Granger. When the time has come to complete the ritual, I'll see to it both you AND your father are subject to the most painful demise imaginable!"

Luna struggled in his grip, dropping her wand and trying to kick at the demon's torso.

Pelares raised his hand, still twisted into vicious claws, and brought to her throat.

"Of course, there is still time, and it is unclear whether or not the necessary Hufflepuff will return… therefore, perhaps I'll sample what he'll be so unfortunate to miss."

Ron was about to stand and do his best to stop what Pelares was going to attempt… when they heard a soft rustling noise from the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets.

A young man with short, messy hair, a bloodstained face behind broken thin-rimmed glasses, and torn robes emerged from the darkness, struggling for breath.

Luna's eyes widened as she looked over Pelares' shoulder and recognized Dave.

"It's you…" She mouthed, but choked as she was finally released from Pelares' grip.

"Indeed it is." Pelares agreed, turning to face Dave. "And just in time for the ritual to begin."

(Soundtrack - Tenchi Muyo: Autumn of Life)

Dave was still disoriented as he'd been before. He could remember more than before… his name, where he came from, his family, his school… but where he now was remained a mystery to him… who these people were, and why it felt like they wished to do him harm… he couldn't make sense of any of it.

"Dave!" Hermione shouted from where she stood. "Get out of here! Now!"

Dave heard the voice, but his vision was too blurred by tears and blood to see who was speaking any more.

"Who is it?" He murmured softly. "Familiar…"

"No, you have to get out of here!" Ron shouted once he recognized Dave behind his many wounds. "Run! Now!"

"Dave… you've finally arrived." Pelares turned to Dave with a smile, despite the laceration that had robbed him of his vision and his horrific illusions. "I'm impressed… most people in your condition would never live so long."

"What's… happening…?" Dave asked softly.

"Nothing… it's all just a bad dream." Pelares explained, just as softly, approaching him.

"Stop it!" Luna choked, rubbing her bruised throat. "Stop it now, Pelares!"

"Pe…lares…?" Dave murmured softly, glancing around the dark chamber, which might as well have been pitch black with his dimmed sight.

"This is all simply a bad dream." Pelares repeated. "And if you want me to, I can end it right now…" His claws flicked, flecks of fresh blood spattering on the ground.

"Wake up?" Dave murmured.

"Dave, please… you have to stop him!" Luna pleaded.

"What's he supposed to do?" Draco asked with a scowl, squirming around to try and get up, but unable to properly manipulate his broken body. "He's not a wizard anymore."

"Who's that?" Dave whispered, glancing around at the sound of Luna's voice.

"It's me! It's Luna!" Luna called.

"Luna?"

"He does not remember you. In his eyes, you're nothing but a figment of his imagination. His entire life as a wizard is nothing but MY memory now." Pelares called back to him as Dave shuffled to a halt in front of him. "It was nothing but turmoil and despair. Such was his Muggle life, and his present state. Turmoil and despair."

Dave struggled to remember… struggled to know what, if this was a dream, could have inspired such visions… such pain…

"To him, none of you even exist… even YOU, miss Lovegood." He laughed and turned to Dave. "Enough of this… The time has come to end this sad charade, and to create a new dawn for this world."

His clawed hand raised…

"Farewell."

Luna Lovegood… turmoil and despair… nothing but a dream… A dream… my dream…

All in attendance watched, eyes wide with horror, as the claws descended at great speed… but no fountain of blood gushed forth from lethal wounds… rather a loud crack echoed throughout the Chamber of Secrets.

Dave still stood, holding his wand overhead to block the deadly stroke. The unyieldingly rigid shaft of wood had been barely enough to keep Pelares' slash from finding home… though now it was broken and useless.

"Dave!" Luna was the first to cry out joyously as she saw Dave begin to regain his strength.

"What?" Pelares growled.

"I've never had a dream where I could feel real pain…" Dave murmured. "This isn't a dream… and neither is Luna."

Pelares withdrew his claw in bewilderment as Dave reached up to clean his own bloodstained eyes with his sleeve.

"I'm wearing these robes, I don't know why. I have this wand, I don't know why. All of you seem to know me, and yet, I don't know any of you… and that hurts me more than anything, because Luna sounds… very familiar… and something tells me that whoever you are, you're at fault for all of this."

Pelares faltered. He never would have imagined… but then he began to laugh long and loud.

"Very, VERY impressive, Dave." Pelares began, retracting his claws and casting an amused glance back at the wizards and witches, whom, wounded or not, were staring transfixed at the spectacle playing out before them. "I suppose, since you've regained your senses and wish to see my ritual fail, I am defeated."

There was a moment of silence in the chamber before Pelares lashed out and grabbed Dave by the head once more, and slammed him against a nearby stone column.

"Unfortunately for you, I am NOT willing to allow my plan to fail after wasting so many years of listening to your pathetic sniveling! I may not have my illusions, but I still have methods of making you wish for death!" He snarled ferociously, extending his claws and preparing to plunge them repeatedly into the muggle boy's thin body… but then he felt something sharp drive into his stomach.

Pelares glanced down to see that Dave had thrust the larger half of his broken wand into the demon's abdomen.

Pelares raised an eyebrow.

"…Your amusing antics will not save you. All you've managed to do is… is…"

Pelares' eyes widened as he glanced back down at the wand that impaled his midriff… beginning to feel an uncomfortable tingling sensation.

He staggered back, dropping Dave and stumbled around, yanking at the splintered ebony that would not come out.

"…NO!" Pelares roared as the terrible pain inside him, which felt as though there were something growing and clawing away at him, intensified, spreading to his chest. He staggered forward and slashed at Dave in stark fury.

Dave had no time to dodge, and suffered four slashes across the chest.

Luna ran to Dave as both he and Pelares fell to the ground simultaneously.

"What's happening to him?" Draco asked, staring at the demon.

"It must have something to do with Dave's wand." Hermione answered.

There was a horrible scream, and at the same time, the loud nauseating sound of innards being torn apart, bones snapping, and blood gushing all over the floor.

Hermione looked away, as Draco, Harry and Ron witnessed a full-grown three-headed snakelike creature rip its way out of the confines of Pelares' body, sending pieces of the demon everywhere.

Once thusly freed, the creature slithered quickly toward where Dave lay, with Luna now cradling him in her arms.

"What... just happened?" Draco asked.

"Do you think that was enough to stop him?" Ron asked softly, looking in disgust at the demon chunks the hydra had strewn about the chamber.

"Probably." Harry answered softly, seeing the largest piece of Pelares' remains, consisting of some of his upper body, his left arm, and his head, twitching and remarkably attempting to turn itself.

"This is…" Pelares coughed, vomiting blood. "…bad comedy… For so long… I berated my predecessors for… the mistake I've succeeded in making myself." He slumped to the ground, his vision darkening. "Maybe I just… wasn't meant to have… what I want…"

Thus perished Pelares Killian.

Chapter 20 - Finale (Soundtrack – Cowboy Bebop: The Real Folk Blues)

Upon Pelares' death, Hermione found herself able to leave the pentagram, and climbed out of the Chamber using the rope Ron had tied earlier. She was unhindered by the menacing Hydra, who simply watched Luna continue cradling the body of Dave in her soft embrace.

She rushed to the Great Hall where the dance was just ending, and told Dumbledore everything. Dumbledore didn't understand what was going on at first, and how he hadn't known about it, testament to Pelares' power.

It didn't take long for Hermione to convince him though, and soon, help arrived.

Neither Luna nor the Hydra wished to leave, Luna insisting she was all right, and the Hydra hissing at anyone who came near them. It seemed they both shared the same mindset when it came to protecting Dave.

Dumbledore understood, and assured both of them that it would be best if they watched over him in the warm, more inviting infirmary.

Very few students knew anything about the incident at the Yule Ball. Pelares had done an excellent job keeping his operation under wraps. As for those involved…

Hermione did a great deal of research about demons, and how to seal them away... just in case. When asked about the secret admirer, she would shrug, and explain that he never showed himself.

"Even if he had," she continued, "I'm already interested in someone else." She explained.

Draco never said a word about siding with Pelares, he did, of course, milk his mysterious injuries, which were good for a few kisses from Pansy. Somehow, he seemed to appreciate these kisses a little bit more than he had before his encounter with the demon.

Harry and Ron went back to trying to learn the rules of the Chocolate Frog card game Dave had concocted. Harry simply considered this one more notch in his belt as far as experience with evil creatures was concerned. Ron, however, began acting a little differently, particularly toward Hermione.

Crabbe and Goyle were incredibly confused, wondering how they had managed to inflict those slashes on Dave just by punching him.

As for Dave, he lay in a coma in the infirmary. His mind was apparently attempting to repair itself after having half of its memories, thoughts and emotions ripped from it by Pelares. His wounds, though severe, had not been fatal. However, along with the Severance, and the brutal beating at the hands of Crabbe and Goyle, it was a miracle he was still alive to start with.

Luna hardly left his side when she could help it, trying to be there with a hot meal and his card collection for when he would finally wake.

The Hydra from Dave's wand, named Chaos in honor of Dave's time as a wizard, made its new home in the Chamber of Secrets. Despite what it had done to Pelares, it seemed like a relatively harmless creature. It was almost cute, especially during the times when it came to visit Luna and Dave in the infirmary. It was no surprise Chaos was so fond of him. After all, the wand had seen fit to choose him for whatever reason. Perhaps because in all her ancient beastly wisdom she had known what purpose she would serve in the final battle with Pelares.

Dumbledore felt guilty about all of this, knowing he should have been able to do something about it before it even began. Perhaps he, like many others, had gotten too confident when Voldermort had been defeated. As it was, he sent an Overseas Owl to Dave's family, explaining the whole thing. He felt he at least owed them that much.

Time passed, and the end of the year arrived. By then, so many rumors had spread about what happened to Dave that it had been blown completely out of proportion. Some claimed that he'd left Hogwarts, others thought that he'd sneaked into the Chamber of Secrets and eaten by a Basilisk...

"And so ends another year at Hogwarts... and so ends yet another time of tremendous crisis."

The students looked at each other with raised eyebrows, wondering what he meant... all except for a few certain students.

Dumbledore explained everything that had happened in the Chamber of Secrets, right under all of their noses.

"I blame myself for not seeing this. I suppose I, like many of you, became careless; a crime that I will try my best to atone for in the coming years."

"Start by leaving the school..." Draco muttered under his breath.

"All of us owe an apology, as well as a great deal of gratitude to the young Muggle by the name of Dave... I believe some of you more than others." He glared at Crabbe, Goyle, and Draco.

"He may have lost us the house cup, but apparently he saved the world." Geoffrey muttered.

"He wasn't really that bad a roommate, was he?" Audron asked quietly.

"Yeah... and I suppose none of the weird things he did were his fault..." Dominick sighed, and slumped onto the table.

"He should never have been here to start with." Roland spoke softly, but not spitefully. His voice was filled with regret.

"But regardless of the year's more troubling events, the House Cup needs awarding, as usual." Dumbledore announced, back to his usual self.

"Oh, this should be fun." Geoffrey rolled his eyes.

"In first place, Gryffindor with two hundred and fifty seven points. In second place, Slytherin with two hundred and thirty five points. Ravenclaw is third with an even two hundred... and Hufflepuff..."

The Hufflepuffs gave a unanimous wince.

"Seven hundred and eighty five points... below zero."

There was an assortment of groans and chuckles from the all over the Great Hall.

"However..." Dumbledore continued.

"Oh, here we go..." Draco slumped, banging his head on the table.

"To Ravenclaw, Slytherin and Gryffindor, I award fifty points, for their aid in stopping the demon Pelares from destroying this school, and the rest of the world as well."

Audron sighed.

"This is just adding insult to injury..."

"To Hufflepuff, particularly to Dave, I would like to award two hundred points, for saving our lives."

"Great... now he only needs to do that about ten more times, and we'll be in the running." Geoffrey grumbled, and Roland kicked in the shin.

"However, under the circumstances, Dave should not have attended Hogwarts as a wizard. In all fairness, I will restore all of the points HE lost for Hufflepuff."

At these words, all of the Hufflepuffs sat up straight, and looked at each other.

"...During his time at Hogwarts, Dave lost exactly... Nine hundred and sixty one points, which now puts Hufflepuff back at one hundred and seventy five points... but with those additional two hundred, it's a total of three hundred and seventy six. As a result, the winner of the House Cup this year, is Hufflepuff House!"

The Hufflepuffs looked at each other, and suddenly exploded with cheers.

"We NEVER win!" Geoffrey spoke in awe, then screamed at the top of his lungs.

Roland stayed in his seat and just smiled.

"I can only imagine how angry the other houses are right now."

"This isn't fair! Why should he get points? He's the one who brought Pelares here in the first!"

Ron began to protest, but he shut his mouth as Hermione turned and kissed him on the cheek.

"He's been through enough, Ron. Let him enjoy this..." Harry began, but fell silent, as he remembered that Dave WASN'T around to enjoy this. He was still in the infirmary.

"I knew it. I knew it." Draco growled, repeatedly hitting his head against the table. "I hate that old man... I hate him so much... hate him- hate him- hate him…"

Pansy patted him on the shoulder and sighed.

The Ravenclaw table simply clapped a little... slowly coming to notice that Luna was missing.

(Soundtrack – Fatal Frame 2: Chou)

Dave, now awake, his strength returned, placed the last of his things into his bags, and hoisted them onto his shoulders.

"...Well... so long, room... I hardly knew ye." Dave murmured, realizing how much lighter his luggage was without cauldrons, books, and all those other wizarding items.

He'd left the infirmary a little while ago, deciding that he didn't want any more attention. He knew now that he was awake people would be asking him all sorts of questions; some he didn't have the answers to, others he wouldn't WANT to answer.

His mind had patched itself up a bit. His time at USMA was hazy, but he could remember bits and pieces of his experiences at Hogwarts. He remembered a few classes where his magic hadn't been working, some time coming to and from Honeyduke's Sweetshop, and mostly, he remembered Luna…

The few short times he'd spent with Luna stood out in his mind as some of the happiest he could ever remember having in years.

As Pelares had repeatedly said, Dave almost found himself thanking the demon for his time here, if only for those brief bits of time…

As he left the Hufflepuff Dorms, the portraits stared at him.

"You're awake?" One of them asked, tilting its head.

"Yah." Dave nodded, not stopping to chat, forcing the person in the portrait to follow him through he other paintings.

"The end of the year banquet is still going on. If you hurry," The painting began, but Dave shook his head.

"No… I want to draw as little attention to myself as possible."

"But why? You're a hero. At least that's what everyone's been saying…"

"Hm." Dave smiled. "And… I guess that's all I wanted. Since I was eleven years old, this is all I ever wanted. I wanted to be a hero. I wanted to be the greatest wizard in the world… but…"

"But?"

"I know a little bit about the wizarding community. They're pretty strict when it comes to this sort of thing. If they ever found out what I was an accessory to, they'd have me dragged off and obliviated when my memory's fuzzy enough as it is… and… I'd rather not lose these memories I have now… the memories of Luna…"

"Luna?" The Portrait blinked. "I thought you loved Hermione Granger."

Dave simply chuckled, and turned away.

"What should I tell Luna?" The painting asked. "Or Hermione? Whoever?"

"Don't tell anyone anything." Dave replied as he made his way to the entry hall. "Whatever it is they need to hear, they already know."

With that, Dave made his way to the front door and sighed as he leaned against it.

"This is all I ever wanted… but… even if I wanted to stay, there's no place for a person like me in a place like this. My life is back home… and it's about time I tried living it instead of…"

His self-assurance faded into a soft gasp as he looked back into the entrance hall… and saw Luna Lovegood standing on the other end of it.

"You're awfully selfish."

"Luna... I..." Dave faltered, dropping one of his bags, then another as he struggled to pick up the first.

Luna approached him, her face looking calm and wistful as it used to, the anger, the brooding sadness she'd shown the fateful night of the Yule Ball gone in an instant.

Dave knelt to pick up his bags all at once, but found himself unable to stand, or even raise his head to face Luna.

"Were you going to run away again?" Luna asked softly.

"I… just didn't want to… I don't do well with goodbyes." He murmured quietly, gradually bringing himself to look into her eyes.

"Then why say goodbye? There's no sense in doing something that isn't necessary. Everyone here has accepted you. We want you to stay here. I want you here."

"Luna, I don't belong here. Pelares was right about that. I'm not a wizard... I'm a sub-par Muggle as it is." Dave chuckled softly, turning away from her gaze.

"Pelares was wrong about a lot of things," Luna whispered. "And so are you."

"Luna!" Dave stood, wondering what she could possibly mean, when suddenly she threw her arms around him, her cheek nestled against his shoulder.

"Luna… even if I wanted to stay, you're the only one who thinks that way. Hermione must hate me for everything that's happened. All the things Ron and Harry were put through on my account… and I think the novelty of the way I act has just about worn off… especially with the Slytherins. And that's just the students. Imagine what the faculty, and even the Ministry, will think of a muggle who brought a demon into their school and ruined a good portion of the educational process. I've cause far too much trouble… It's for the best if I just… disappear."

"So I'm not good enough a reason to convince you to stay." Luna murmured.

"No… no, that's not… Luna, please stop it. I'm nothing special!"

"You are to me."

Dave felt Luna's embrace tighten, and Dave pushed gently against her.

She released him, but Dave still held Luna by her shoulders.

"I'm going to Hogsmeade. As soon as I get there, I'm catching a Night Bus to Daigon Alley, transferring, and going to the airport, and…"

"And?"

"…And I'm going to miss you very much, Luna." He slowly brought her back to him, holding her in an embrace that was not too tight, or he might find it impossible to let her go…

"I really wish that... I could have come here without Peckles. I really would have liked to spend this year getting to know you."

Luna said nothing, her head bowing slightly.

Dave suddenly reached down and took Luna gently by the chin, tilting her up to face him.

"I… love…"

He leaned forward, tensing as their lips touched and quickly melted into an awkward, but genuinely tender kiss.

After a moment, he turned away from her, and hurried to the front door, struggling with it and shoving it open.

"I'll keep in touch..." Dave said, smiling at her through his tears. "I'll write letters."

Luna nodded silently.

"Goodbye, Luna."

"...Goodbye, Dave."

With that, he turned and disappeared into the night.

Epilogue (Soundtrack - Vertical Horizon: Forever)

Needless to say, Dave's family had been worried sick about him since hearing that he was in a coma. They'd awaited news of his recovery every day, but had received none. As such, they were excited to see him at their doorstep.

Dave was forced to sit in a chair and tell them every last detail of what had happened (or those he could remember, at least), nearly scaring his parents to death. Of course they gave him all kinds of lectures about how wanting to die was wrong and how he'd made the right decision. They also asked who ended up winning the House Cup, and what kind of damage the Hydra had ended up doing to the school. Of course, Dave didn't know the answers to these questions, but he told his family what he assumed was correct; that Gryffindor had won as he'd heard they always had, and the Hydra had been effectively dealt with.

Dave never spoke of his time at Hogwarts, or at Magic School around anyone but his family. First, he'd probably be hunted down and obliviated. Second, anyone who asked him to prove it would figure him a liar when he couldn't.

He'd left every last piece of his magical legacy back at Hogwarts, including his Chocolate Frog Cards, and his wizard money.

The only things he couldn't leave behind were his memories Luna. He sent her letters, using his sister's owl, uncertain if she would ever get them. They'd forgotten to exchange addresses in his hurry, and so he could only send mail to Hogwarts and hope they would be forwarded to Luna herself.

Of course since this was during the summer, he didn't have high hopes.

USMA had apparently been contacted by Hogwarts, and given a full report of what had happened. Dave was sent a letter of expulsion from the United States Magical Academy in short order.

His parents had expected Dave to be in tears about this, but he took it remarkably well.

Something about him had changed.

Dave sighed, sitting in his room, looking up at the ceiling.

The summer was almost over, and it was almost time for him to return to Muggle school- no- just School. He simply prayed he could remember enough from the years-long gap in his memory to get through his mundane lessons of science, mathematics, art, and so forth.

Parts of him sometimes wished that he could return to Hogwarts; return to the magic, but he knew in his heart that would be impossible. It was something he would have to deal with, though this new-old life would be boring, uneventful, ordinary…

"I wonder… if anyone at Hogwarts will even know I'm gone…"

"Dave!" He heard his mother call from downstairs.

"I'll be right down." Dave sighed, knowing it was time for "back to school" shopping. He rushed down the stairs. "I guess we should get going now."

"What were you doing up there?"

"Thinking about things... nothing important."

"Well, before we go, you got some things in the mail." She pointed to a stack of envelopes on the corner of the table in their dining room.

Dave nodded and walked over to them, sitting down. He noticed that many of the envelopes were bound together.

He unbound the envelopes, opening them one at a time.

"Dear Dave," He read aloud, "How is summer? I'm glad to hear that you recovered from your

coma. Why didn't you stay at Hogwarts? We were looking for you on the Hogwarts Express, but we couldn't find you. Luna told us you left the night before. We really looked forward to talking to you, but I guess we missed our chance. Good luck in Muggle School!

Ron Weasley.

P.S. - My mom wants to thank you for saving our lives and all that."

"Charming." Dave rolled his eyes. Ron had a way with words...

He opened the second envelope.

"Dear Dave, I know things weren't exactly normal between the two of us, due to Pelares' influence, but I really enjoyed our study sessions together. I'm already getting letters from students who want to participate in it next year, since they heard my only volunteer was able to summon a Hydra and kill a demon. I'm sorry things couldn't have been better for you during your time at Hogwarts.

Harry, Ron and I will miss seeing you around, both in and out of classes, and we'll do our best to keep in touch with you.

Hermione Granger."

Harry also sent a letter, which read very much along the same lines as his friends. Mostly thanking him, and feeling sorry that they wouldn't see each other again. He also mentioned that Hufflepuff had won the House Cup, which was a shock to everyone, especially Dave.

Of course Harry had taken care not to explain just how many points he WOULD have lost Hufflepuff if he'd stayed on as a wizard.

In the pile were more letters from Dave's roommates. These were usually short: Mostly apologies and letters of thanks.

Finally, Dave reached a letter from Luna, and opened it carefully, not wanting to rip the envelope too badly.

"Dear Dave, I hope you don't mind my asking Professor Dumbledore for your address before I left Hogwarts for the summer. I'm also sorry it took me so long to write. I suppose I just can't think of much to say. Maybe some of the others will think of something, since we're all sending our letters together. I just wish you could be here with me."

"So do I." Dave answered in a whisper, then continued reading.

"Please let me know if you get this letter. I miss you very much.

Luna Lovegood."

Dave sighed, staring at the letter for a very long time.

He finally placed it aside, in its own pile next to the other letters, before opening the last of the bunch.

This one looked very official, with all the Hogwarts insignias and whatnot on it.

He opened it, and unfolded the letter. Something fell out of it, but he didn't pay attention to that just yet.

"Dear Sir... oh, it's SIR now." Dave smiled sarcastically.

"Dear Sir, it has come to our attention that you are no longer a wizard, and have been expelled from United States Magical Academy. While we are disappointed at this news, we regret to inform you that there are other matters that need to be resolved."

"Oh, fantastic." Dave sighed, reading on.

"During your time at Hogwarts, you were assigned to serve out your weekends for the rest of the year working community service at Honeydukes Sweetshop. You did not attend this community service for the necessary number of hours.

Also, the Hydra you were responsible for releasing in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has escaped the chamber of secrets, and is running unchecked around the school. The combined efforts of our staff, including Rubeus Hagrid and Argus Filch are nevertheless unable to capture and contain the creature that, as we understand, is searching for the one who released it, due to emotional ties.

Thirdly, the Chocolate Frog Card Game you have created has met with several disputes over rules, which require clarification. For all these reasons, you will be required to..."

Dave's breath caught in his throat.

"…You will be required to return to Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft for the coming year. Due to your Muggle status you will not be listed as a student, but rather a member of the faculty, assisting Rubeus Hagrid and Argus Filch."

As he read the letter out loud, his voice softened as the point of all this slowly sunk in.

"We will look forward to seeing you again, Dave.

Sincerely, Albus Dumbledore..."

Dave looked down at what had fallen from the letter, and picked it up.

"Dave, we should go." His mother said as she entered the dining room. "I've got the car started. Are you done reading your mail? And do you need pencils? The store's got them on sale."

"...I don't really feel like going shopping, mom." Dave said, quietly, holding up a plane ticket.

"I was thinking... I'd like to go to the airport instead."

THE END


End file.
